When Things Don’t Change
Image by the|G|™ via Flickr
In my 38 (almost 39)years on this Earth, I have seen so many things change. I have seen myself get older, my children transform before my eyes and become teens, and my career path change quite a few times. Change is inevitable.
The New Year has begun and for many it is a new start. It is a new opportunity to make some changes in our lives that maybe we didn’t have the gumption to do before. The types and quantity of resolutions are endless.
The problem is when things don’t change.
You’re still the same weight. Your marriage is still a mess. Your kids still hate your guts. Your finances are still a wreck. You still hate your job.
The blame game begins on the things that didn’t change. Despair and disappointment set in and you’re done.
The year comes to a close again, and you resolve to make “the next year”, the “year” everything changes, and the cycle continues on. The failure to see change continues.
The following reasons things don’t change sometimes are things that I have come to understand about myself and still walk through and wrestle with all the time. I don’t claim to have mastered them, but I believe they will help you.
1) We don’t see the change in the circumstances around us is because of our failure to see the change that needs to take place inside of us.
Many times things need to change inside of us in order for things to change before things can change in the outside world. We have attitudes, mindsets, and ways of thinking that need to change. Perhaps you are filled with pride or you lack mercy, or you lack character. If the way we think or see things doesn’t change, we would doom everything we want to accomplish. Left to our own devices, because of the sinful, fallen nature we have, we would mess it all up. We may see this as God torturing us or denying us what we want but this is His mercy on us that He doesn’t gives us what we want, when we want it. This is definitely a tough pill to swallow. No doubt.
2) We don’t see change because we are looking for something outside of Christ that can only be found in Him alone.
This one is huge. Many of the things we desire for ourselves are merely a substitute for something we can find in Christ alone. Whether it’s security, love, acceptance, or provision, God wants to fill all of these things in our lives. All too often we turn to our jobs, our spouses, our kids, or even doing good things to fill the longing of our hearts. The problem is that they never bring lasting joy to our lives. God is jealous for our hearts and He will not let anything bring true fulfillment outside of Him and what Jesus did on the cross.
I have no doubt that all of you wrestle with these things in varying degrees. There may some of you that this may be an eye-opener for you. My prayer for you (and me) is that we will have ears to hear, eyes to see, and teachable heart to allow God to reveal us those things we need to learn. That we would be able to look back on the previous year, and see how far God has brought us all.
The one thing I am grateful for that doesn’t change is how much Jesus loves you and me.
God bless your New Year
Kevin
Lessons From the Philippines I
Well, I just got back to my hotel from saying goodbye to some great people. I figure I would start sharing some things that are on my heart. Some things I got from my trip to the Philippines. This is the first part of a series. I don’t think that you can go to another country and not get some things that you learn from being there, and taking part in another culture. This series of posts is a result of not only my trip but what I learned and was reminded of before I went anywhere, so hang with me.
My friends came to the U.S. a little over 3 months ago to learn some of our jobs cause the company I work for is moving some jobs to the Philippines. Not everyone in the U.S. is that gracious when folks come to take your job. It’s not an easy thing to train your replacements. I don’t think anyone really likes it, but that’s just a reality in the world we are living in these days. I am thankful that I am keeping my job with the company, but I have had to say bye to some of my co-workers. That’s not an easy thing and there was a while I wondered if I would keep my job.
Lesson 1) Uncertainty is Certain
The only thing certain is that change is inevitable. We live in a world that is constantly changing, moving, spinning. Think about it, we live on a planet that is always spinning and orbiting the sun. The tectonic plates in which the continents are constantly moving, rubbing up against each other (earthquakes), spewing hot liquid rock and metal (volcanos). The oceans are always rising and falling (tides). The wind blows across the water and ground in constant movement, causing clouds to form, and rain, and plants animals and people to be affected by it. Even our hearts beat every second of our lives so we are in constant movement till the day we die.
If this is the case, why should we think that things in life won’t? Let’s look back in Ecclesiastes for a second:
Ecclesiastes 3
A Time for Everything
1For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2a time to be born, and a time to die;a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3a time to kill, and a time to heal;a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4a time to weep, and a time to laugh;a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6a time to seek, and a time to lose;a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7a time to tear, and a time to sew;a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8a time to love, and a time to hate;a time for war, and a time for peace.
So many of us are tossed to and fro on the waves of our emotions, circumstances, and situations. One minute we are happy, another moment we are sad. One minute we thank God for His blessings, the next we are complaining about what He has given us. One minute we are happy about the church we attend, the next we are visiting another. One minute we are in love with our spouse, the next we are contemplating divorce.
Just because life is so uncertain, doesn’t require that we be so uncertain. There are things we can as Christians, can “hang our hat on” so to speak:
God loves us unconditionally
Romans 5:7-8
7For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Tough times will come
John 16:32-33
32Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
He did not leave us to fend for ourselves
John 16
13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Remember, change is inevitable. How we respond to change when we have an opportunity to show our maturity, or a an opportunity for God to show us where we need to mature so we can move toward our destiny in Him.
Kevin
