Change of heart.
Changing my mind.
Life changing.
Change of direction.
Open to change.
How many times have we used these phrases? And yet, we still believe that it’s impossible for people to change. But if we can change our mind and change our direction and have a change of heart, how can we not change in the process?
If we’re honest, we are constantly changing and shifting a bit. Life doesn’t stay the same, so we can’t either. We have to be able to flex and grow and adapt to our surroundings and our life circumstances. And if we don’t, we become bitter and angry that things are not the same. Even that deviation in attitude is a change.
I do believe that each of us is born with a particular temperament and personality. Personalities, unless something drastic happens to the body and mind, stay pretty much intact. My sweet mom had a saying when I was growing up. “The older you get, the more so.” In other words, if you are sweet when you’re young, you’ll probably be even sweeter as you age. And if you’re more the cranky type, well then…
In my experience with people over the years, I would agree with that. But what if people really want to change? What if change is necessary for the health of a person’s relationships both with God and people? Is that possible or are we trapped by thinking that we or anyone else can NOT change? If that’s the case, we could all end up being a frustrated, discouraged, hopeless mess.
If we can change our minds and can have a change of heart, I believe that we CAN change. And the heart and the mind are the two key components in that change. Who better knows those two parts of us than the Creator of those parts – the one who intimately and intricately designed us? If we need tweaking from the inside out, who would be the obvious choice to best help us with that?
If change is vital to give us a chance to love God and others more, then we know that that’s God’s will for us, too. And if it’s God’s will and we are ready and willing for those changes, He absolutely can and will help us with those changes. He calls it transformation. I call it miraculous.
We all have rough edges that need sanding, spots that need to be whittled out, dull surfaces that need buffing. Isn’t it nice to know that we have a Master Carpenter at work in our lives who can absolutely do that with His very skilled, very loving hands?
When I get frustrated with others and wish that THEY would change I need to stop myself. Maybe, just maybe, God is using them in the my life to change ME. To transform me, heart and mind. It’s not my job to change others. It’s God’s job to change me. And as He does that, maybe those changes will affect others and call them to change, too.
I got my hair cut yesterday. I am contemplating a new hairstyle. A change. I am going to try and grow it out a bit. It will take time and patience. It will go through some ugly, difficult phases. But my hairdresser will get me through the process with guidance and trims and thinning here and there. And if I’m committed to it and trust her knowledge and skill, a new hairstyle will happen. Change. Growth. Process. Hmmmmm….sounds kind of familiar….
Can we change? Absolutely. God has not stepped out of the business of transformation. It is still one of His favorite pastimes. And He’s really, really good at it…
Isaiah 43:19 – See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.
Romans 12:2 – Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.
2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 3:18 – And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
