It’s not usually difficult to recognize when something needs to change, but it may be hard to know what that “something’ is. Many of us resist change. We like the way things are, or the way things were and we find ourselves reluctant to consider how change could even be a good thing. If change is the only constant, as the adage says, then maybe it helps to start defining what we imagine brings change for the better. If you’ve been around for awhile, you’ve been through a lot of changes. Some have been extraordinary things like space travel, climate change, and even the internet. Some have been more personal, like change in your relationship status, change in the kind of work you do, or change in the way you think about God and the world. After all, we grow, grow up, and grow into change and we can trust that God takes note of each new version of ourselves we might present to Him.
When we look out at the world, our list of what needs to change is overwhelming. After all, we’d like people to think before they talk, be compassionate instead of critical, and lead with integrity, instead of something more self-serving. We’d like all that, but it’s not easy for us to effect such changes on the world. If that’s true, perhaps the only place we can effect change is within ourselves. We might take a look at how often we speak to others with even the slightest bit of unkindness. We might check our willingness to be compassionate, not only to people who are very much like us in thought and deed, but with those who are nothing like us. Whether we lead people through some kind of professional organization, or simply lead by example, we all can check our motives in how we influence those around us.
So, if we shared our concerns with God and suggested that something needs to change, what might He say to us? Of course, I’m going out on a limb here, but I could imagine Him saying, “I totally agree. So, let’s start with you.” Okay. I declare that something needs to change in me. I need to be more kind, more compassionate, more forgiving. I need to be more of what God designed me to be because that is the only way I can bring light and change to those around me. Yup! I’m thinking hard about the things I need to change.
Care to join me?