There is a wisdom in change. It’s the trust and faith that comes from the deep knowing that your decision to change is supported by an infinite Universe. It might be a decision to change your job, to leave a relationship, to move, or to change a belief. The wisdom in change is in knowing that there is a definite need in the moment to take a different course of action — to create a new pathway.

Robert Frost wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” But read the whole poem and you’ll find he admits both roads were worn about the same. The difference was in the choosing — and in the telling.

Change isn’t always accepted by those you know. They might ostracize you, tell you your change is crazy or irresponsible. They might even have a better idea for you. I think when that happens, it is because either they are jealous — unable to make a change in their own life — or they are genuinely scared for you, worried.

Are you worried? When you decide to make a change, do you wonder if it will be okay? Do you think you might find out you made a terrible mistake? I remember going to Los Angeles when I was the mother of teenagers. I was to be gone for six weeks. My husband at the time agreed it was a good idea, hoping I would at last sell my scripts or make something of myself. So I decided to go. It was a significant change — I would be alone in a place I knew nothing about, surrounded by people I didn’t know. I went. As I look back on it now, I still don’t know what good came from it. Nothing happened for me. I was miserable, and I came home with my tail between my legs, so to speak. At the time, I didn’t know anything about the Invisible Power that would support me. It was a decision made in desperation. Still, I chose.

There is a line from the song “Move On” by Stephen Sondheim:

I chose and my world was shaken — so what? The choice might have been mistaken… The choosing was not.

There is the truth. The choosing is never mistaken, even if the choice was.

Now I am sitting here at a crossroads. Everything is here for me to take my next step. I have gathered all my innate abilities and talents. I feel powerful and ready. And yet, the specific change I need to make has not yet presented itself. Here is where I am different than I’ve been before. The old me — the one who went to LA or left a job I thought I hated before I was ready — would have just jumped off and gone somewhere. This present Rita follows the words of Mother Teresa: “Grow where you are planted.”

This means continue to cultivate yourself. Give what is yours to give. Always be true to your inner guidance. Do not mistake discontent for the urge to decide right now what you must do. You are being prepared for something by your inner Universe. It knows the path, and if you stay open, the path will appear. When it is time to make the change, to make the choice, to decide — it will be as if it happened magically. You will suddenly see the road.

So don’t rush in. There is wisdom in change, and it is an inner journey.

Love and Aloha, Rev. Dr. Rita Andriello-Feren, Author, Co-Founding Spiritual Director CSL Kaua’i