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Expectant Prayers ®

Jennifer Jo Weiss

Change You Really Can Believe In!

This blog isn't about politics, but I can't help but bring up an obvious illustration!    There's a whole group of people in our country that are wanting political change, but do they really know what that means?   Their motto:  Change We Can Believe In.  What exactly ARE we putting our hope, faith, and trust in when it comes to the change they speak of?    Everything we enact has roots somewhere.  What source are we tapping into?     What does change really mean?

Change for the sake of change (in our own human efforts) is not effective and rather pointless even if it leads to definitive goals and ideals.  They have to be based on something, something more tangible and powerful than mere words or man's ability.

Side Note:  I also find it ironic that as Christians, we are not allowed to "BELIEVE" when it comes to politics, but one candidate can bank an entire  campaign slogan on the notion of "believing".  A synonym for belief is faith (though a belief may or may not bear credence to the fact that one feels certain about it, where faith always implies a certainty).  So if the hangup is not on the belief, then it must be in the very thing our belief is founded on.  It is God that is offensive, not our "belief".    You can believe in other things... even change... but don't mention God.  

What's weird is that most people really don't like change.  Tell a kid they have to change schools and see how they react.  Tell a friend there is something they need to change about their personality and you won't have that friend for long.   Change your hairstyle, change your clothes, change your house, change your car, change your bank, change locations.... they all take effort and risk.

The concept of change is not something we look forward to in life, but nonetheless is inevitable.  Take for instance the fact that kids grow like weeds- you blink and your baby is almost thirteen!   For that fact, we are constantly getting older, too.    We were looking at some old footage of when I was a teenager singing on a television show and I thought to myself, "Who is that girl?  She's about half of me!"  The voice was somewhat the same...of course there were other things that haven't changed (the way I smile, character, etc) but still!  I hope that I have improved all the way around with age... like a good cheese.

If there's one thing I have learned in my 30+  years on this planet is that change is a constant.  You get used to something one way only to have it morph before your eyes.  We need to get used to  change along life's journey.  In my home it seems to happen everyday.  I'm constantly juggling schedules, routines, parenting strategies, you name it; all the while tweaking and shaping things into more convenient methods.

Change is hard, especially as you get older.   Know the phrase, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks"? As we get older, we like to say (or at least think) that "We have roots", but that should not keep us from embracing change when it comes our way.   Often, we have roots in things that we shouldn't anyway.  We SHOULD be rooted and grounded in the only thing that IS stable in life:  GOD. 

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."  Colossians 2:6-7

He is the only true CONSTANT.  The Word tells us:  "I the Lord do not change"  Malachi 3.   

There are no verses however that state that we (including our situations in life) will not change.  Just the contrary!   Isaiah 64:8 says, "O LORD, you are our Father.  We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."  Clay is constantly being shaped until it is made into what God sees fit!   There's pushing and pulling involved.  Sometimes we get off center and got has to pick us up and place us back into the center of His wheel (will). 

Proverbs 10:30 tells us, "The righteous will never be uprooted".  When our root system is based solely (soul-y) on God, we will not be uprooted from Him...ever!

We SHOULD NOT be rooted in other things like in our money (and false hope of financial security), our material homes,  political figures, ideologies, or other "things" that have the potential of taking the place of the Lord in our lives.  All these things will eventually disappoint given enough time because they are not a solid foundation.  The verse in Colossians continues with insight:

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."  Colossians 2:8

Philosophies, human traditions, and principles of this world are areas where we tend to grow roots, but we might as well be growing our roots on rocky terrain.  Roots like that won't last!

I BELIEVE THAT CHANGE IS A GOOD WAY TO GROW.  It forces you to revisit habits, examine relationships, evaluate work, overhaul your finances.    Sometimes change is the only catalyst that takes us from the mundane of the monotonous to the place we are supposed to be.

And honestly, even if our favored political candidate (I DON'T HAVE ONE) doesn't make it into the White House, God is still in charge.  Period.  We do not need to fear the days ahead or worry.  Sometimes change we view as negative is the very thing we need to spur us to grow.

Not all change seems good at the time, in fact sometimes change makes us very uncomfortable because we are not in control.  Other times,  change can mean a loss of something we have become rooted to and we just don't want to let go.  We get angry with God because we can't possibly see the good.  We never get out of our "pit".  We stay there and sulk rather than take the hand of the Lord, allow Him to lift us up, and take the first step toward the path of His perfect will.
But let me encourage you today:  if God is bringing change your way, perhaps you are on a journey like others have been on that will reap a future hope that you haven't even dreamed of.  Joseph is one prime Biblical example!  From the pit into slavery, he eventually found favor with man (and God) and became elevated to a position he had literally dreamed of as a boy.

Over the past week, I have been mulling this thought of change over in my mind and heart.  It started with a church sign that said "If you don't like who you are, change it!"   Then a devotional talked about the same idea of invoking change into your life if you were unhappy with your job, a situation, or anything else that was making you unhappy.    Then when we were doing our family Bible study, some verses in Proverbs added to the thought of flowing with change.  Chapters 11-24 in Proverbs contrast righteousness with wickedness over and over again, saying things like "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid"   or "A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke".  Of course, these are changes that come through the discipline of the Lord, but they DO lead us toward righteousness!

Final thoughts:   Several of you out there are faced with change today or at least the desire to change.  Only you know what area this is speaking to you in your own life.  
Some of you are seeking direction in "who you are supposed to be".  Others are not happy with work and lift up their hands and say, "There's got to be more for me than this!".   Maybe you're one who lacks patience at home; yelling, arguing.  You don't like who you are when you lack control. You want to change.
 Maybe it's a relationship that needs the Lord touch in order to even remain in- you know something has got to change!  
Perhaps it's even your relationship with God.  You want to grow... you want to be excited about going to church and changing spiritually, but it's just not happening.
Many of you are frustrated because you feel like the Lord has given you a vision toward a future goal/hope and now you are simply "waiting" to see the fulfillment of that promise.  You embrace the change and want the change, but you just haven't seen any glimpses of hope and you're getting tired.  You want change to happen NOW!

The word today is that change is about to happen!  Trust God, rely on Him to lead the way and make your paths straight.  Don't forget that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.  Begin to pray that God will instill the change in your life that is necessary.  Ask Him to illuminate your spirit and mind to be conscious of what He's doing and allowing in your life.  Pray for markers that will help you realize where you are along the path and to see how far you've progressed.   Also, be yielding to the Holy Spirit to let go of those things that you need to.   

Change is a daily process in your life whether you know it or not.  Occasionally those big changes come along that are life defining.  Those life defining moments are on the horizon.  We can all spare some change!  Change, when initiated and executed by our loving Lord and Savior IS change we truly can believe in.


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