3 Practical Ways to Welcome Unexpected Changes
“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope”—Romans 15:4
Changes are all around us, often affecting every area of our lives from the roads we drive on to the stores we shop in, the jobs we work, the food we buy, restaurants, relationships, and more. It’s inevitable. Even if we like our lives exactly how they are, change still happens, and we can’t keep it from invading our lives, although we may try at times. Change is often unexpected and unwelcome, derailing us for a bit or feeling paralyzing for a time, yet we aren’t able to keep it from happening, such as road construction, which often disrupts our lives by causing us time delays, detours, and traffic jams. In the most dramatic way, change can make it feel like life as we know it has ended.
Still, like road construction, if we keep moving forward through it, once we go through the long process of digging up the roads, preparing the area, pouring the surface, and painting the new lines, border, and directional arrows, we reap the benefits of driving on a smooth, new roadway. Like going through the road construction process, we can welcome unexpected changes in our lives, trusting God to help us through them if we don’t give up and keep moving forward. As well as working them together for good in our lives, even if it doesn’t seem possible at times. As Romans 8:28 assures, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
When Unexpected Changes Come
When unexpected changes affect our lives, it’s up to us to choose to welcome them or resist and fight them, which in most cases is futile, especially with how quickly our world seems to change from day to day. Rather than fume, fret, fight it, or run from it, the following are three practical ways to prepare our hearts and minds to welcome unexpected changes and to face them with welcoming attitudes rather than dread and resistance,
1. Be grounded in God’s word.
Knowing God’s word gives us the foundation and tools to welcome changes, knowing that even if things around us change, God remains the same. As James 1:17 assures, we can know that God does not change, because “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” God stays constant, giving us the peace we need to face and go through changes, knowing we can count on Him being the same yesterday, today, and forever.
2. Be ready to endure.
Change requires endurance to adjust to new ways and things that often take time, are difficult, and are uncomfortable. It takes us being willing to push through changes rather than throwing in the towel. It also takes us being unafraid to move forward in the unknown, maybe not understanding at first, and being fearful of our failing in the process. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 15:5-6, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
3. Be encouraged and hopeful.
Knowing God is with us helps us to face and go through changes, relying on Him to be with us through them and to even help us to thrive despite them. Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, “May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” Because God is with us, never changing, we can look ahead, confident and expectant, knowing He’ll help us to adjust and move forward in the process. As in Romans 5:5, “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Likewise, Romans 8:32 explains, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Even when unexpected changes seem too difficult and overwhelming for us to handle, in Luke 1:37, Jesus assures us, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
Let’s pray ...
Dear Father,
Help me to welcome unexpected changes in my life through being grounded in Your word, enduring through them, being encouraged, and staying hopeful.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
What truth from today’s devotional is God using to encourage your heart? Share your reflection and join our conversation in the iBelieve Truth Devotional Forum.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Hiraman
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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Originally published Monday, 17 August 2026.
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