In life, we change every day; mentally, physically, and spiritually. Our mentality changes every day as we gain perspective and learn new things. We shed cells every day. Our spirit changes every day as we grow in understanding our spiritual mission and the gospel. Our mentality, body, and spirit all change each day for better or worse. There is turbulence in life so some days will be good and some days will be bad. We trip over rocks and uneven platforms on the sidewalk. We walk up hills and reach higher elevations as we drive across the city. We elevate and go downward every day in ways in which we do not even think of.

Sometimes, we realize how much we have truly changed over time when we sit down and think back on everything that has happened over just the past two weeks. We have to take the time out of our day to just sit down for 10 to 15 minutes and reflect on our day or our week to let our minds rest. It can feel like we are going so fast that we can’t even see where we’re going. It is like going on the highway; the faster we push the gas, the more we can’t see our surroundings when we look out of our windows. We can see what is in front of us because that’s what we’re primarily looking at but we can’t see everything around us because we’re moving so fast. We use this to say that we may lose a sense of things because of how fast we’re going which may lead us to neglect certain parts of our health and our emotions. We may neglect our sleep, our nutrition, our immune system, etc when we’re super focused on only one thing; whether it is work, marriage, family or friends or any other thing we may be focused on. We have to take some time for ourselves each day to clear our minds so we don’t put our brains on overdrive and cause ourselves to burnout. If we continue to keep pushing ourselves to the max without consideration of our health, we will be forced to stop because of that burnout. We must consider what is most important before anything else in the flesh. We are not machines that can keep going every single day. We have muscles, joints, tendons, hormones, emotions, etc. We need the time to rest our mind and body. We can sleep for 8 to 10 hours but we may still feel fatigued and worn out when we wake up. This is because we haven’t let our mind rest. We need to give ourselves time to make the right change.

It is important to understand that not all change is good change. We shouldn’t change what we’re doing just for the sake of changing. If we move, we should make sure that we know where we’re going first before doing so. If we get a new job, we should make sure that job is the right one for us and that we’re not doing it just for the sake of changing. Change comes naturally. When we try to constantly change things when there’s no reason for there to be turnover, we’re simply creating chaos. Change will come without even trying; it is natural progression. We shouldn’t force our hand into things when there is no need to do so. We sometimes can cause unneeded stress and chaos in our lives because we feel that we need to constantly shift things up. Patience must be practiced and there must be trust on our end as for where we’re going in life. There may be some days where it feels like things are dragging and we are not getting closer to where we need to go but that is all dependent on what we are doing to progress. If we’re doing what we’re supposed to do to progress, we shouldn’t get anxious about not moving fast enough because things take time. Days will bleed into each other and days will begin to feel like weeks, weeks will begin to feel like months, months will begin to feel like years, and so on. We have to be willing to embrace and accept the process of the current stage in our life. In order for us to make it to the end goal, we have to navigate the journey. There is no rush to life.

This society tries to make us think that we need to have certain milestones completed at specific ages. We need to know what our career is going to be by the time we finish high school, we need to have a career position by 25, become a homeowner at 27, get married by 30, etc. People often think that they’re lagging behind in life because they’re trying to uphold a standard created by this society. Not everyone is going to be able to meet those standards because we’re all different people with different aspirations that deal with different circumstances. That is what makes us unique. Everyone reaches their checkpoints at different paces; some quicker and some slower. This society will make you think at times that because you don’t have this at that age that it somehow makes you less than someone who does. However, this is what you should expect from a society like this because it is not based in the spirit at all. It is based in superficial vanity which comes in the form of numbers, standards and expectations; all of which correlate to you expending your energy into this society and not the Spirit. We need to move forward with patience and not worrying about where everyone else is at because our change and the time it takes is unique to us.

Moving on, change is simple. It will come naturally when we don’t even feel it. On another end, it can be so monumental that it takes us out of our daily work to reflect on that change. Sometimes, your change may put you at odds with others. You may hang out with one of your friends or family members after a few months and you express yourself in a different manner from before. They then come to tell you, “Oh, you’ve changed!” Well, yes. We are supposed to change. We are not supposed to stay the same. We are meant to progress and evolve in our mentality, our behavior, our character, and our discernment. Yet some people take that as an offense which threatens their own security in a subconscious way because it is a reflection of their inability to improve or make a difference in their own lives. It forces them to think on what they have been doing and how little they have changed or improved to make their lives better and to utilize their gifts, talents, and skills in a productive and beneficial way. It is then that they view us as a danger to their own protective bubble that they’ve created for themselves in that we may pop it because we’re a symbol of reality. They create the bubble for themselves which shields them from their responsibilities and duties and that all is fine with how they’re “living” life. Once they see that other people they know are growing and evolving mentally and spiritually, it breaks that shield for them and makes them realize that they indeed have responsibilities in which they must attend to. They have the responsibility to provide for themselves and their family. They have the responsibility to grow mentally and to support their brethren. They have the responsibility to make something out of themselves. That is when they get defensive whenever you express yourself in a manner that is not to their liking. It tells them, “Wait, he isn’t staying down here where I’m at. He isn’t just talking about basketball and cars and getting drinks anymore. He’s talking about life and all that stuff. He’s going too deep with it.” The reality is that they’re the ones that are not deep. They have no sort of an introspective mind. They’re just operating on auto-pilot and are just saying and doing things without any thought behind it. When they see you’re actually moving forward with your life and your mind is not just stuck in high school days, you are deemed as a threat to their bubble. Often times, once they deem you as a threat, you either part ways or you once in awhile speak some small talk.

Your change becomes a reflection of the maturity and the character of your friends and family. Much of our relationships will not last our lifetime because most people are not willing to accept us when we have a changed mindset. Our relationships will last when the people we converse with and keep company with are maturing along with us. If a person is not willing to change with us or accept our change, our time with them has come to a close. That chapter has ended and we move onto a new chapter in our lives with someone else.

To close off this topic, we look to Ecclesiastes 3:1 to emphasize on the essence of change. It says,

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”

There is a time for everything in our lives. There is a time where we will have one sort of mentality while we later evolve and develop a greater mentality and outlook on life. There is a time for us to be unknowing of the answers we seek and a time for us to be made aware of those answers. There is a time for us to keep certain company and there is a time for that company to exit out of our lives. Most relationships are as the seasons are. They have a time and a place in our lives. Eventually, that relationship or season ends and we go onto the new season or relationship. We may learn new things from the season that had just passed which we’ll take into the new season we enter.

Remember, that man is the variable and the Most High is the constant. Whenever someone changes up on us, we should not marvel. We should never believe that anyone who is by our side is going to be by our side tomorrow. The only one who will be by our side without change is the Most High Yahweh Elohim. We must acknowledge that and believe that so we do not bury our hearts in anger and retribution because a person that we thought was going to be with us forever didn’t. We must keep the Most High first because that is who will be with us no matter who stays in or goes from out of our circle.

In closing, change is necessary. Most either stagnate or regress in their development. We must be the anomaly and be the ones who change for the better and progress. Never let anyone try to guilt-trip you for changing and not operating in the same low-level mindset as they are. As long as we are following the laws, statutes, and commandments of the Most High earnestly and are maintaining our charity, faith, health, humility, and dignity, it doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks about us. That may put us at odds with our mother, father, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, friend, best-friend, co-worker, spouse, etc. However, once again, to everything there is a season. If they attempt to antagonize you for changing, that season has ended. There is nothing more that you can gain out of that relationship. It is time to move on. If they are humble and understanding mature people, they will accept you for who you are and will be changing along with you. The rapport between you will evolve as you both evolve spiritually, mentally, and physically. Never feel guilty for changing. We must change in order to live. You only move forward as you adapt and mature to the situations and the seasons that life brings you. If you don’t, you will fall behind and be stuck in the spiritual purgatory that most people seem to be in. Be honest with yourself and never put on a veil for anyone to assuage their insecurity or unrest because of the mental and spiritual progression that you express which conflicts with their stagnation. Never apologize for being who you truly are. If they can’t accept you for who you are, don’t fret. Their time with you has come to pass. Don’t feel sorry for changing because only the ones who change to better themselves live on to realize their potential and see the end of their journey.

-GP