You may be familiar with the words of Heraclitus, the ancient Greek philosopher (c. 535 – c. 475 BC) who said “The only constant in life is change”. Those words resonate with me these days: I’ve been coming to terms with some significant change in my life lately, as my post on IJM Canada’s website will tell you. And then on a more trivial level, there has been a change to my plan to run a marathon in Buenos Aires this September as part of the “Going the Distance” challenge.
Instead of flying to Argentina in September, Judy and I will be travelling to New Zealand in August for the wedding of our niece. We’re super-excited to visit New Zealand for the first time, but (since New Zealand hasn’t yet been recognized as part of an eighth continent!) in order to advance my seven-year plan to run a marathon on each of the seven continents we will also make a side-trip to Perth, Australia for the City to Surf Marathon on August 26.
Perth, Australia! Ever since I read an article about Perth in the May 1982 issue of National Geographic, I’ve been intrigued by this city, the fourth largest city in Australia—a metropolitan area of more than two million people perched on the edge of the Indian Ocean, way on the other side of the outback from Sydney (which is 2,045 miles away). Perth is sometimes described as the most remote large city in the world, while Auckland, New Zealand also has a legitimate claim to that title. As the economic and administrative centre for the resource-rich state of Western Australia, Perth has experienced rapid growth, although the end of the China-driven mining boom has caused the region’s economy to slow in recent years. But the annual City to Surf running festival continues to grow, attracting over 40,000 runners each year for a variety of events ranging from a 4 km run/walk to a full marathon.
Change on this level is not much more than a slight inconvenience—a matter of rearranging vacation plans and relinquishing the registration fees already paid for the Buenos Aires Marathon. I am disappointed not to have the opportunity this year to visit the “hallowed ground” of the Plaza de Mayo, but there will be another time for that experience. But letting go of a role with International Justice Mission that has been the focus of my energies and vision for the past 12 years—that’s another matter. On the Holmes and Rahe stress scale, an unexpected end to employment ranks just below marriage as a life event which may have an impact on health. I’m a few months into the transition, and thanks to the gracious presence of God and the kind support of friends and family, I think I’m coping reasonably well—but there are good days and bad days. I recently learned that the Kubler Ross stages of grief can also be applied to change, because all change involves loss and everyone of us needs time to let go of the past and embrace a different future. With that model in mind, I’d say I spend most of my time in the acceptance stage of the change curve, with occasional retreats into depression and confusion.
If change is constant, how should we respond? Change is inevitable, but it shouldn’t be feared. Change is bound to be more traumatic when we stay in denial or allow our anger to prevent us making a new beginning. Here are some suggestions for embracing change:
- Remember who you are and why you exist. Change can be a humbling experience. It can reduce us to our essential core and force us to ask again, “Who am I? And why am I here?” I can only answer the first question with reference to Creator God, and the second with reference to leadership of a team. Nothing in life brings me greater satisfaction than seeing women and men join together in the pursuit of a compelling cause. I don’t know what comes next after IJM; I don’t know where and how and who I will lead, but if (as Simon Sinek says) “Leaders are the ones who rush headfirst into the unknown” (Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t) in a few months I’ll be rushing headfirst into the unknown in search of another team. The greatest gifts change can offer you are reminders of your core identity and your purpose in life.
Change is an opportunity to re-focus on those things you hold to be true and which give essential meaning to your life.
- Focus on those things that do not change. When everything around you is changing, it is easy to lose your way and feel as if the very foundations of the universe are shifting. Heraclitus also said that “No man ever steps into the same river twice”—the water in an ever-flowing river keeps changing so that from one second to the next it is really a different river—but make no mistake, the river will always flow to the sea. Love will always be stronger than hate, hope will always be stronger than fear. Change is an opportunity to re-center, re-focus on the central truths of your worldview, those things you hold to be true and which give essential meaning to your life.
- Don’t be afraid to ask hard questions. As much as you will need to hold onto those truths that are unchangeable when you are in the midst of change, you will also need to allow the transition from one state to another to expose opportunities for growth. Asking questions—even the primal question “Why is this happening to me?” (and then genuinely expecting an answer!) will stimulate deeper reflection and promote personal and professional development. Even unwelcomed change is a gift not to be scorned in a life-long journey of transformation.
In the meantime, while I’m engaged in this change journey, training for a marathon serves as a healthy distraction. (Yes, distractions can be a good thing.) And just as I did last year, I will use this experience as an opportunity to raise awareness of the daily violence that affects the billions in our world who live outside the protection of the law, and to raise money to enable IJM to continue its vital work. My goal this year is to raise $15,000 to help IJM protect children in the Philippines from cybersex trafficking and restore survivors to safety and strength. 100% of the funds I raise this fall will be directed to this purpose.
In the meantime, while I’m engaged in this change journey, training for a marathon serves as a healthy distraction.
I’ll write more some other time about Canada’s contribution to the alarming spread of cybersex trafficking in the Philippines, and how IJM is working with the Philippines National Police to stop it, but in the meantime I would be honoured to have you as a partner in my 2018 “Going the Distance” campaign. You can make an online contribution any time by visiting https://ijm.akaraisin.com/pledge/Participant/Home.aspx?seid=15826&mid=9&pid=3869405&sgid.
Banner image by JJ Harrison (jjharrison89@facebook.com), Perth CBD from Mill Point (2), CC BY-SA 3.0
