Change

Change. Just the sounds of that word has the power to make peoples' teeth cringe, body ache, and hair stand up on end. It is the root of some abandonment, the inducer of anxiety, and the stunt of growth as a person. Why is is that these six letters, strung together with no spaces, cause people to go in a tizzy? Why are people so stuck on keeping things the way that they are? Because, people today, believe that change will hurt them. Change with mess our perfect blueprint of our own lives. Routine = comfort. When you always order the same thing from a restaurant, you know that you will have a decent meal because you know it tastes good. When you always run the same 6 mile loop at practice, you know it won't be hilly because you do it all the time. When you have the same routine from the moment you wake up, to the time you lay down to go to bed, and you exclude yourselves from trying new things, you could be missing out on some of the greatest experiences life has to offer. Let me tell you something about routine and faith though. When people have a perfectly constructed plan for their day, it looks, to God, like, "God, I think I figured out how to be content in my life. I have designed a fail safe plan to requires no hurt or surprises. I need you still though, just in case they run out of my favorite dish at my favorite restaurant." It's simple really. Having a set routine means you trust yourself 100%. You don't want God to change it. No surprise turns, pot holes, or change ups are welcome to you. The truth is, there is no magic formula. I am guilty of the routine life at times, especially before a race. If I have a race in the afternoon, I will get up and run a two mile shake out, eat a bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon, peanut butter, and half of a banana, lay around and read, watch TV, and do crosswords, eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, pretzels, and an apple for lunch, listen to Matt Kearney: Runaway on the drive to the course, listen to Angels and Airwaves: The War during the warm up, chew ONLY spearmint stride gum to calm my nerves, take a sip of purple G2 gatorade, eat three (yes three, it is that specific) gummy fruit snacks, pray, stride, wish the field good luck, and be the last one behind the line before the gun goes off. In other words, I have tricked myself into believing that this routine is the ONLY way that I can perform well in a race, all because it worked one time in high school. Having this routine makes praying to God before my race just part of a chain on events that I mindlessly perform. It has no meaning. It is simply to put one of the pieces of my puzzle together. I rely on myself, and myself only to ensure that my race is flawless by design. I know why I do this. I know why routines for people make sense now. It's because if something does not go as planned, we don't have to blame ourselves. We can blame the weather. We can blame those around us. We can blame God. That's when we want to talk to Him. When things don't go the way WE want them too, we look up to Him and say why did You do this to me? News flash though, you did this to you. You never learned how to fail. You never let yourself experience a change of pace. You got too comfortable in the way you wanted your life to be, and weren't ready for the life God has already made for you. You were scared of those six little letters strung together with no spaces...Change. God is going to throw you curve balls. He is going to break your routine sometimes. He is going to push you to the edge so that you will understand that you aren't the master carpenter. Embrace change. Let God lead you. Pray to Him for happiness in life, and not to your day planner. Order something new on the menu, at the restaurant, and in life.