My wife and I love fixer-upper shows. It’s impressive to see the transformation of a ramshackle, abandoned home into a mini palace. But sometimes I wonder if they should raze the house. Similarly, it takes discernment in many situations to ask ourselves, “Should you change it or replace the whole thing?”
Difference between Change and Replace
According to Wiki Diff, change means to make something different. While replacing means restoring to its former self, position, or condition. It means to place again, naturally.
Dirty Diapers
So the whole phrase, “change the diaper,” sounds strange to me. Should we replace a dirty diaper with a clean one? Can you change a dirty diaper into a clean one? I suppose you can if it is a cloth diaper. But today, we’re most likely to just replace the whole thing with a clean one.
Change is difficult even if it smells like a dirty diaper. A baby brings a lot of change into a family. And you can be sure the baby will be changing through the course of his lifetime. Before you know it, they’re off to school, graduating, and having their own babies.
When things get hard, it’s tempting to scrap the whole thing and start from scratch. There are times when that may even be the best course. But when it comes to children, keep going! You may need to make some changes but stay the course.
Still, when you are faced with a dirty diaper, you don’t need to ask should you change it or replace the whole thing. Just get a clean one!
Editor’s Note: I originally published this blog on October 6, 2015. I revamped and updated it for timeliness and comprehensiveness.
