“Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God” (Matt. 3:8 NLT).
No doubt, this
past year has been one of the most challenging years we have ever faced. The
Coronavirus pandemic, shut downs, economic upheaval of many businesses,
protests and riots etc., have made many people long for a new year—minus the
struggles. For my family personally, 2021 will bring about many changes with
the expectant arrival of our third child in late February. Yet as much as we
like the idea of change, typically the only ones who truly want it are wet
babies.
Therefore, most
people tend to resist change. When we resist change, our attitudes are
naturally affected. And more importantly than that, God calls all of us to
change as we daily turn from our sinful desires to follow Him. Yet change is
not easy for there are several reasons why we resist change.
First, we resist it because we fear having
personal loss. I remember when I was a kid, the factory that my dad worked at
shut down, which meant that my dad, along with about 600 people were out of a
job, not to mention the affect that it had on all of their families. For us, it
meant that I would have to move. I had never moved before and so was fearful of
it. I was fearful about leaving behind my friends and having to downsize my
possessions that I held dear.
Another reason we
tend to resist change is because of our fear of the unknown. One writer said,
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself—and possibly the bogeyman.”
Ironically, it’s the “bogeyman” who often causes us to resist change. It’s what
we don’t know that makes us afraid.
People often
cling to what they know, even if they are not satisfied with it. Fear holds us
back, yet the only way to overcome the fear is to do the thing that we fear.
Third, people
resist change because the timing could be wrong. One of John Maxwell’s 21
irrefutable laws of leadership states, “When to lead is as important as what to
do and where to go.” Thus, it is a wise thing to carefully consider timing for
change.
Fourth, people
resist change because it feels awkward. Change is often going to require you to
step outside of your comfort zone. Likewise, most people don’t like to rock the
boat. Yet sometimes it takes rocking the boat to get it unstuck.
And fifth, people
resist change because of tradition. Many people cling to tradition. The
assumption is that if something is tradition, it must be a better way. But
that’s not necessarily so. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His day by
saying, “...you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your
tradition” (Matt. 15:6 NKJV). As was quoted at the beginning of this
article, we are all called to change—it’s called repentance. And if you think
that you don’t regularly need to repent, it shows what you need to repent
of—pride.
Therefore, how
can we move forward in the direction that God would have for us—even if we
don’t like change? The keys to dealing with change successfully are having a
good attitude toward it and being prepared to meet it. So the following four
things can assist you.
First, ask God
for help. Throughout the Bible we can find numerous examples of God
transforming people in mighty ways, and He does the same thing today. He gives
courage to the fearful, strength to the weak, success in the place of failure,
comfort to the hurting, joy in place of sadness, life to the dead and dying,
and thus, hope to the hopeless. When a Samaritan woman came to Jesus, He took
her past reputation that had caused her shame and used it to produce joy and
dignity. So ask Him for help with the changes that you need to go through.
Second, to help
overcome the struggle with change, realize that change is unavoidable. If you
doubt that simply look in the mirror. :) We all experience it whether we like
it or not. And the simple fact of the matter is that things will always be
changing. So the sooner that a person can learn to accept that fact the easier
that the change will be.
Third, to help
overcome the struggle with change, make the commitment to change. The simple
fact of the matter is that much of life is hard, but we make the choice to go
through the struggles that we know are worthwhile. As someone once said,
“Marriage is hard. Divorce is hard. Choose your hard. Obesity is hard. Being
fit is hard. Choose your hard. Being in debt is hard. Being financially
disciplined is hard. Choose your hard. Communication is hard. Not communicating
is hard. Choose your hard. Life will
always have things that are hard. But we can choose our hard. Pick wisely.”
So as you
consider how to make the changes needed to improve and grow, it is important to
measure the cost of change compared to the cost of status quo. Change equals
growth. And change equals grief.
Lastly, a simple
understanding of the Gospel message can help us to deal with change. One writer
explained it like this: “When we believe the gospel, we accept the truth that
we need to change. We know we are broken people whom God is making new through
Christ. Not only us as individuals, but we believe that God is going to make
all things new. There is also a cosmic change coming.
God not only wants to change your status—from non-Christian to Christian—but
also to change you. He wants to make you like His Son Jesus” (Erik Raymond, Change
is Good). This is exactly what Romans 8:29 teaches. “For those God
foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that
He might be the firstborn among many brothers.”
I wonder if
you’ve thought about your Christian lives through the lenses of change. Are you
aware of this change? Are you resistant to it? What are you doing to pursue it?
As we seek to pursue the transformation that God has for us, it naturally
changes our attitudes for the better!
In His service,
Matt
(Portions from John Maxwell, The Difference Maker)
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