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| Some wag once said, “The trouble today is that nobody likes change except a wet baby. And he doesn’t even know he needs it most of the time.” Woodrow Wilson, who was president of Princeton College before he became president of the United States, once said, “It is easier to move a cemetery than a faculty.” Resistance to change is not just a notorious New England trait; apparently it is common to humanity. Alvin Toffler, who wrote Future Shock, claims, “Change is not merely necessary to life – it is life!” Change is indeed inevitable. So if we are going to grow and thrive in this life we will have to learn to embrace change. Viewed from one angle, change can be exhilarating and exciting as we anticipate the benefits. But viewed from another angle it can be disconcerting and disruptive, feeding our insecurities and fears. Usually it takes us a long time to adjust to changes, whether they happen quickly or over time. Consequently the process of change is hard and uncomfortable. No wonder we resist it. One man wisely made this observation, “All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.” As a result, change requires faith; faith that the change will ultimately lead to good and better things. Both faith and change are fundamental to Christianity. At the heart of Christianity is a genuine humility that recognizes one’s need for forgiveness and need to grow, to change, and to be transformed. The Bible declares the good news (gospel) that forgiveness is available through Christ and with forgiveness comes a guarantee of heaven. But the gospel also promises that we will be transformed into the likeness of Christ. It does not happen all at once, but there is hope for life right now. Our hope is anchored in the assurance that God will give us a new heart so that He can change us from the inside to the outside. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight, momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17). Such confidence in God is why authentic, growing Christians are committed to both the product of transformation (to take on the character of Christ) and the process (courage to trust God). The people who relentlessly face their need to change, and dare to trust God with the hard and uncomfortable process involved in personal change have my deepest respect. |
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by Dr. J. Patrick Curtis, Senior Pastor |
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