Change Fatigue and the Realignment of Almost Everything

You’re probably familiar with the idea of decision fatigue. Infogalactic describes decision fatigue like this:

In decision making and psychology, decision fatigue refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual, after a long session of decision making. It is now understood as one of the causes of irrational trade-offs in decision making.

I’ve experienced decision fatigue at various points in my life and know how it messes with your life. It’s well worth clicking over and reading that entry to refresh yourself on the pitfalls of this type of challenge.

What I’m going to propose today is that we are all suffering from change fatigue. There is a brief entry on Infogalactic about organizational change fatigue which says in part:

Most organizations are constantly undergoing some form of change, either locally, regionally or globally. However, as humans, we inherently need stability, order and predictability, essentially our need to maintain a sense of status quo. Organizational changes often directly challenge the status quo, creating resistance and conflict. When change is always occurring, individuals begin to become overwhelmed, their ability to adapt becomes depleted, and the loss of control and uncertainty skyrocket. So, individuals are unable to align their thoughts and actions because they are always changing.

Does this sound at all familiar to anyone reading this?

When change is always occurring, individuals begin to become overwhelmed, their ability to adapt becomes depleted, and the loss of control and uncertainty skyrocket.

I made a video in December 2021 entitled Things Will Never Be The Same Again. I went back and watched it myself a few weeks ago to see if my thoughts had changed at all. There was one small thing I might have worded differently, but other than that I believe I was correct in my observations. If you’ve never watched that video, I encourage you to do so. If you did watch it at the time, you might find it interesting to watch it again now.

Depending on your point of view, we are living through one of the most exhilarating or most crushing periods in human history. We are experiencing an unrelenting, deliberate attack on and upheaval of:

• education
• medicine
• government
• political parties
• the financial system, money, and currency
• the church
• the family and parental roles
• God’s creation of men and women
• global alliances

Those are just the ones I’m thinking about off the top of my head. You can add any I forgot in the comments.

I don’t think humanity has ever gone through this level of destruction at once. World wars? Lots of destruction but they were’t causing the upheaval of everything on that list. In fact, some of the things on that list are what got people though those experiences. Plagues? Again, massive loss of life but not the tearing down of everything on that list. Financial crashes? Yes, terrible but they didn’t touch everything on the list. And so on through history.

Every one of those is causing change fatigue in all of us. Mentally go down the list and consider how your thinking regarding each one has been impacted in the past few years. Think about how your life has been touched by every one whether it is financial, personal, emotional, relational, spiritual, etc. Even if your views haven’t changed on a specific idea (such as God’s creation of men and women), you’ve had to deal with the satanic assault from every corner on this bedrock truth of the Christian faith and society.

Today I want to encourage all of us (including me) to recognize how this change fatigue is wearing us down. We’re all suffering from a decreased ability to adapt. It’s harder to make decisions when you are worn down, overwhelmed, and face an entirely uncertain future from the human perspective. It’s exhausting trying to stay mentally and physically a few steps ahead of the people committed to destroying your personal autonomy.

But that brings me to why I put the “Almost” in the title. One thing has not changed.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (BSB)

When everything else is in upheaval, look to Christ.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3 (BSB)

Every day we must fix our eyes on Jesus or we will grow weary and lose heart. Because we are human, we will experience the pressure of these times but Jesus will help us. We need to ask for the Holy Spirit to strengthen us and lift us up. We also need to pray that for those we love.

If you are going to win the war, you have to be able to identify the battles. I hope this post helps you clearly identify the battles you are fighting in your individual life.

Now put on the armor of God and continue on in faith.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.

Ephesians 6:10-18

Berean Standard Bible