Sometimes we struggle with change, but change is good. Change is refreshing. Change is why we were put here on earth in the first place. Change is what the Atonement of Jesus Christ is all about.
Now if you are thinking this doesn’t feel entirely comfortable, I don’t blame you. True change is never easy. But that’s why it is so essential to our progression and growth. Continuing in the rut of mediocrity may feel comfortable at first, but it soon becomes monotonous and unfavorable.
Change is uplifting, invigorating, and stimulating. Examples are all around us:
Athletes – What athlete out there is happy with the status quo? Runners always try and beat their last time trial. Skiers and snowboarders try new tricks and test the limits of what can be done. Athletes from every sport are constantly trying to improve and become the best at what they do.
Cooks – Gratefully, we don’t have to eat the same food every day. Chefs are always trying to improve their recipes and deliver top-quality fare to their adoring fans. Thankfully, they do a pretty good job of it, and we all benefit. Variety is part of the bill of fare for the wonderfully delicious foods available to us.
Students – Of course the academic community is always trying to learn the latest and the greatest subject matter. Technologies today enable us to experience lessons and access detail unavailable to our predecessors. For students, change is inevitable since a student is always learning.
Entrepreneurs – Financial moguls and business tycoons are relentlessly working toward the next acquisition and the improved conglomerate. Nothing is static in the desired business community. Dynamics is the name of the game.
There is no question that change is important in concept and in practice.
The word change appears over 100 times in our standard works. Derivatives of that word like repent, improve, convert, transform, and amend make up thousands more. And why not? The gospel of Jesus Christ and The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ are all about change.
How do you feel about change? Scary? Hard? Uncomfortable? Yeah. It’s all those things, but it can also be good and right and empowering and … er … life-changing. Yeah. That’s right. Change is life-altering.
Some of you old-timers might remember Mark Spitz. He was the most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, winning multiple gold medals, all in world record time. I was just a boy in those days. Saying his performance was exciting is a gross understatement. We were thrilled with each meet. Nobody could swim like Mark Spitz. He won seven gold medals that year. That’s right, I said seven.
Did you know that if he was trying to compete as an Olympian swimmer today, his times would not be good enough to even qualify him for the Olympic team? That’s right.
One recent paper (a dozen years ago) made the following claim:
“Michael Phelps is attempting to surpass Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals in a single Games. He has won all of his races in world-record time, as Spitz did in 1972. But times have improved so much that, in this Olympics, Spitz would have finished 55th among the 58 swimmers in the 200-meter freestyle heats and 33rd among the 44 swimmers in the 200-meter butterfly. His freestyle relay teams would have finished last.”
My point? Times and seasons change, and so do we. What were insurmountable just weeks ago is commonplace, even mundane, today. Cars and mode of transportation, technology, medical science, and our daily way of life and circumstances change.
Change is uplifting, invigorating, and stimulating if we follow God, but certain principles of His gospel never change. For 7,000 years, the gospel of Jesus Christ has remained intact and accurate and true.
That will always be the case.
To read more of Walter’s articles, click here.
Though our place of worship or size of congregations may change due to the circumstances and events or world calamities, the hope, sustenance, and peace available through the gospel and Church of Jesus Christ remain intact and prominent in our lives.
I don’t know if science has adequately proven that atoms compose every physical thing here on earth. In a terribly simplified format, atoms are made up of mostly space with electrons, protons, and neutrons. If that is the case, then God could take anything and turn it into something else by simply reordering the composition of the atomic components. What is miraculous and inexplicable to us is simple and familiar to Him.
And that will never change.
In 1989, Walter Penning formed a consultancy based in Salt Lake City and empowered his clients by streamlining processes and building a loyal, lifetime customer base with great customer service. His true passion is found in his family. He says the best decision he ever made was to marry his sweetheart and have children. The wonderful family she has given him and her constant love, support, and patience amid life's challenges is his panacea.
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Appreciated your words, Walter. I especially like how you wrote about the term “change” in the scriptures and words related to the concept, reflecting its centrality in the gospel. In these times of uncertainty, we all need to be anchored to those unchanging principles of His gospel you mention here.