This Article was Published in ‘The County Edge’ 11/10/06

I recently returned to my hometown of Waxhaw after spending over two years on the mission field. The changes that have occurred in this area are phenomenal. The most obvious change has been erected at the intersection of Waxhaw Indian Trail Rd and Highway 84. Wow! The huge corner dome with all of its shops and restaurants intricately placed reminds me of a mini Charlotte Arboretum. Matter of fact, it looked like a chunk of Charlotte simply migrated into our empty rolling meadows out in the small community of Weddington.
I visited the church just down the street from this shopping center a few weeks ago. I was employed there before my departure to our mission assignment in Atlantic, N.C. Growth and change was evident there too, as I looked around and saw very few people that I knew other than the pastor, his wife and a couple close friends. Increase was spilling over in this place and I was thrilled to see good things happening there.
Then I visited my local neighborhood Food Lion grocery store only to discover that it had taken on a major face-lift. Even the atmosphere in this store was different. I thought I had mistakenly stepped into a Harris Teeter. I noticed too that this was a positive change since the store now encompassed larger aisles encased in a neat and tidy environment. Food Lion could certainly remain competitive with its positive new features. I am sure that was the company’s overall goal. So, Food Lion, I personally applaud your new look.
I learned a long time ago in the workforce that change is always necessary for growth to occur. And while some of us may or may not like the changes that are obviously taking place around us, the fact is that change is the driving force that empowers us to move up to the next level. This is true of any goal we seek to pursue whether personal or professional. We only have to make sure our steps and calculations are properly motivated and engineered.
Yes, change is definitely in the air these days. As I step out onto my screened porch early each morning, the crisp coolness sends a slight chill racing up and down my spine as I quickly dart back inside for a light blanket. This however, is one of those welcome changes from the hot sticky days of summer. So why don’t we embrace this change along with all the others—even the logging trucks moving in and out of the highway in front of my own home. Again, I sense that change is on the way.
I am not afraid of change and I hope that you are not either. I believe change to be a giant step in the right direction. Fortunately, for all of us in the Waxhaw community, we can still find plenty of contentment and refuge in our small, ever growing, yet still quiet, peaceful little realm of the world.