How to Sense and Response to Change

Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.”(Matt 26:31).

Before Jesus Christ went to the cross, He told His disciples that they will all be offended in Him. He said this because He knew and understood what lay ahead of Him. Christians must understand that this was not a statement of unbelief. It was a statement of genuine faith integrated into the facts of life. As we see, Peter was in a state of ‘normalcy bias’. His response to Jesus kicked against any alteration or change within the environment.The thought of Jesus leaving them meant things will change. Things will change socially, politically, financially and in every other area of life. Their comfort zone was about to be rocked.
They were about to confront a severe change and they were not prepared for it. So, it seemed temporarily safe to move into a mode of denial than to accept what they were faced with. This is a bad state to be in. It makes one unable to get the best out of life’s circumstances. As a Christian, when you are faced with this kind of situation, learn to do what you are supposed to do.
 Make adequate preparations. Declare God’s word in faith. The Word of God is able to make that issue a light affliction that works out an eternal weight of glory for you. When you do not prepare to face the change squarely, it simply means that you have refused to face the facts of life. And in so doing, many end up being offended or bitter.
Jesus prepared for the situation by going into the place of prayer.Someone once said that the tragedy of man is that ‘the circumstances and situations around him change but he just does not change’! If you ever read the book ‘Who Moved my Cheese’, you will understand this concept better. The book talks about two little men and two little mice who found cheese at a particular station. The mice, because of their nature, were used to changes and so every day when they came to the station to eat cheese, they would first go around the cheese to find out whether it was still in the same state they had left it or if it had changed.  They were very cautious of their environment especially because they drew benefits from it. As time went on, they began to notice that the cheese had started growing smaller and then they started preparing themselves mentally for the change that was about to happen. They knew that in a short while, this phase would be over. It was their duty to move quickly into the next phase. It was also their duty not to be drawn into depressive moods because of the seemingly good situation that was ending. There was no use mourning the loss.On the other hand, the little men who seemed more intelligent in terms of them being able to reason better were not emotionally enlightened and so could not handle the situation. They came down every day, fed on the cheese and never noticed the changes. They felt everything will always be the same. When the change finally occurred, they felt the cheese had finished without warning.   The two little men became bitter and offended as they wondered who had moved their cheese. The mice, on the other hand, were smart enough to notice the wind of change even before it finally came. So, when they got to the station one day and found the cheese all gone, they were not taken unaware. They quickly re-adjusted and moved on to the next place where they found bigger cheese.The truth is that nothing happens suddenly in life. The signs will always show up first. It’s your duty to detect these signs no matter how inconspicuous they seem and prepare ahead. Look out for these signs. They may be in form of body language, nudges on your inside etc. Withdrawal signs will always be there weeks or months before the actual incident occurs. Don’t stay in the state of normalcy bias and deny reality. Respond adequately. You never know, your response may avert or nullify something very terrible and life threatening. Be sensitive to your environment. Never ignore those discomforting feelings. You can save your future if you act on them.“Poju Oyemade”