Change Will Do You Good (Knowing When to Take the Plunge)

How do you know its time for a change? Is that unsettled feeling too many hot peppers in your chili or is God giving you a nudge? Figuring out the right timing for a change is a little like learning to set the hook when fishing (something I never mastered); timing is everything. Having made several major changes over the last couple of years I’ve settled on these principles for making a big move:

• If some people think you’re crazy to make the change don’t worry about it. There will always be a group of people who don’t understand. Some people thought I was crazy to leave Seacoast. Some people thought I was crazy to leave Saddleback. Some people thought I was crazy to believe the Cardinals could win the 2011 World Series. All of those people were wrong. I may be crazy, but not for those reasons.
• If everyone else thinks you’re crazy to make the change then you probably are.
• If your spouse thinks you’re crazy then it isn’t time to change. You are a team and a team works together. If quarterback calls a screen left and the running back decides to run a dive over left tackle things are going to go horribly wrong. The same principle is at work if you are dragging a reluctant spouse along because “you have heard from God”. If God is really in the change he’ll talk to your spouse as well.
• God seldom provides the kind of skywriting, audible voice sign we would all prefer. He has given us a solid set of principles to follow in the Bible (and if you don’t follow his principles in making a change you’re an idiot), but as for specifics he offers a still small voice at best.
  
• In many situations God’s will for your life is for us to choose. When I was wrestling with leaving Seacoast John Ortberg (yes, I just dropped a name) referred me to Dallas Willard’s book Hearing God. The last chapter says that God’s will for us in making a change is often to use the intelligence and discernment he gave us to make the choice.

So how do you know for sure its time to make a change? Do your homework (Ask God, study his principles, confide in a few wise friends, pray with your spouse), and if you still think this is the time make your move. The reality of leadership is that most big decisions are made with imperfect information; often it is only after you have left the diving board that you know you’ve made the right decision. Good luck with that.