September's feature post:
You Can Change
You can change. But not in a way that may first come to mind. In our world we think of change as "moving up the ladder" or "becoming happier." We are programmed by our culture to change for the "better" and to make your life more "meaningful" through the things you don't have....yet. I believe there is a greater, more Godly event to take place when we truly open ourselves to change.
Let's notice a couple of things of what I just said first. Our world is built on a pursuit of happiness based on possessions and status. I do not believe this is change or change for the better. Real life transforming change occurs when we allow God in.
This is vital. Change occurs not through the actions of accumulating and taking, but through letting go and openness to God himself.
Now, I am not trying to be presumptuous in this blog by saying, "You must change right now or else." I am not even trying to pretend I know your needs or situation or thinking. What I am assuming, if anything, is that there are areas of all our lives that we may not be satisfied with or actions we take or reactions we often take that do not bring out the best in us. Parts of us we wish we could change, but perhaps we have resigned ourself to the fact we can't change or to the cultural message that we need Axe deodorant spray to truly be happy or to save 15% on our car insurance to make a big step in our financial freedom.
Maybe more than anything else, I am writing these thoughts because I am someone who often thinks like this and needs to be reminded of God's transforming power and not my changing ability. The areas, the relationships, the actions I take that I am not satisfied with and want to desperately change occur when I open myself to God.
Let's begin with the fact that every day we say "yes" and "no" to God. You will not change by your ability and power, but by saying "Yes, God please change me." You are step 1 of the change process. More than that, the life transforming power. We have to stop saying "no" to God and start saying "yes." Then and only then, when we have allowed God to work we will change.
This is difficult because this requires release. Openness to God I believe comes when we release our self, desire and wants. The things and things we try to acquire are obstacles in our ability to deepen our relationship with God. They alter our priorities and vision. Distract us from God. When we choose money over God, we are saying "no" to God. Essentially we are placing something else above the true God.
Perhaps we need to bring ourselves to a point where we are conscious of these choices and what they spiritually mean. Once we realize how our choices are saying "yes" or "no" to God then we can be aware of the obstacles that stand in the way of us being transformed by God.
N.T. Wright in his book After You Believe makes the statement, "Behavior is of course massively habit-forming." This isn't necessarily ground breaking, but a great reminder that our actions, the things we do create habits. In this sense, the things we do create habits of God or something else. Saying "yes" or saying "no."
Now, you are the first step to the change. Perhaps the most shallow prayers to God are the one's that ask God to change them and then sit around waiting for it to take place with no effort or consciousness to those areas separating us from God. It's like the prayer for patience and yet when opportunities to practice patience happens, we grow angry because God isn't answering our prayer. In reality, our prayer for patience creates opportunities for us to say "yes" to God and allow Him to be present in these im-patient situations while we consciously work on our patience. Too often we ask God and wait around and expect God to be a magic genie with no effort or work.
N.T. Wright in the same book makes this point as well by saying, "When people consistently make choices about their patterns of behavior, physical changes take place within the brain itself." His point here is that people's conscious actions "train" themselves, much like an athlete, to take on the virtues of Christ. That again, much like an athlete, conscious practice and time must be spent on realizing the areas that need work. In short (and in my words) change can happen when we consciously practice the areas we are wanting/needing to change.
The prayer for God to change us is a great one. The fault of us is thinking we are done. God's transforming power allows these opportunities of practice, where real change can occur.
I enjoy the home make-over shows. Name one, I like it. The problem I have with these shows is the fact that these homes are renovated so quickly. From experience, home renovations take time. It's a piece here and project there. Take your yard as an example. I've worked on a yard once before and am currently working on getting our yard pretty. In these home make over shows, the yard is at mature, beautiful age within two days. Everything is in place. Everything is green and gorgeous. The problem is, a yard doesn't work that way. Maybe more so today, but trees, shrubs and grass take time and care to cultivate to a mature and beautiful yard.
You get my point here? Change doesn't happen the next morning. Change occurs over time with much attention and work. If I allow the weeds in my work-in-progress yard to grow, they will take over. I think this analogy could be used for many areas of life, but very true for this conversation. You can change, but you have to do your part.
Doing our part doesn't take God out of the picture. I think it honors God. Going back to our prayer for patience; we pray for patience but in order for us to become more patient, we must practice and cultivate patience. Does't this conscious decision and action honor God? It's not taking God away, but recognizing God provides the opportunities and strength for us to change. In our yard, we can plant, manicure and water, but God is the only who can make it grow. The things we don't want to grow will come up without our help, but our attention to the yard will allow God's good, beautiful things to grow.
If you're still reading, thanks. Let me close with a quick example from my own life.
I remember a couple of conscious decisions to change in my life. One of the more recent decisions was when my gentle wife made me aware of the fact that I become "grumpy" and "mean" and "short" when I was hungry or tired. I didn't even notice my behavior during these times. But she did and she noticed it wasn't a kind characteristic and one that was ultimately hurting my family.
I can remember driving to dinner and being "angry" and having this conversation and realizing it was true. I prayed to God and made a decision right then and there that I would change.
I've messed up since that decision. I've reverted back to "mean" Travis at these times, but when I do I catch myself (or my family does). I pray for God to help. I apologize and become even more aware of the behavior and more aware to not act that way.
Now, I can't tell you what my family would say, but I feel like I've made some great strides in this negative behavior that was hurtful to others. I'm not perfect, but I am conscious. I am aware and trying to cultivate a more Godly behavior rather than a mean spirited one.
It's not a change that I can acquire. But it is one that God can accomplish when I cultivate the pattern for it. When I say "yes" to God through my choices and actions, I provide the groundwork to be in a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God. Not through my possessions.
You can change. I know it's true because I've seen God change me, but only when I open myself to Him.
Let's notice a couple of things of what I just said first. Our world is built on a pursuit of happiness based on possessions and status. I do not believe this is change or change for the better. Real life transforming change occurs when we allow God in.
This is vital. Change occurs not through the actions of accumulating and taking, but through letting go and openness to God himself.
Now, I am not trying to be presumptuous in this blog by saying, "You must change right now or else." I am not even trying to pretend I know your needs or situation or thinking. What I am assuming, if anything, is that there are areas of all our lives that we may not be satisfied with or actions we take or reactions we often take that do not bring out the best in us. Parts of us we wish we could change, but perhaps we have resigned ourself to the fact we can't change or to the cultural message that we need Axe deodorant spray to truly be happy or to save 15% on our car insurance to make a big step in our financial freedom.
Maybe more than anything else, I am writing these thoughts because I am someone who often thinks like this and needs to be reminded of God's transforming power and not my changing ability. The areas, the relationships, the actions I take that I am not satisfied with and want to desperately change occur when I open myself to God.
Let's begin with the fact that every day we say "yes" and "no" to God. You will not change by your ability and power, but by saying "Yes, God please change me." You are step 1 of the change process. More than that, the life transforming power. We have to stop saying "no" to God and start saying "yes." Then and only then, when we have allowed God to work we will change.
This is difficult because this requires release. Openness to God I believe comes when we release our self, desire and wants. The things and things we try to acquire are obstacles in our ability to deepen our relationship with God. They alter our priorities and vision. Distract us from God. When we choose money over God, we are saying "no" to God. Essentially we are placing something else above the true God.
Perhaps we need to bring ourselves to a point where we are conscious of these choices and what they spiritually mean. Once we realize how our choices are saying "yes" or "no" to God then we can be aware of the obstacles that stand in the way of us being transformed by God.
N.T. Wright in his book After You Believe makes the statement, "Behavior is of course massively habit-forming." This isn't necessarily ground breaking, but a great reminder that our actions, the things we do create habits. In this sense, the things we do create habits of God or something else. Saying "yes" or saying "no."
Now, you are the first step to the change. Perhaps the most shallow prayers to God are the one's that ask God to change them and then sit around waiting for it to take place with no effort or consciousness to those areas separating us from God. It's like the prayer for patience and yet when opportunities to practice patience happens, we grow angry because God isn't answering our prayer. In reality, our prayer for patience creates opportunities for us to say "yes" to God and allow Him to be present in these im-patient situations while we consciously work on our patience. Too often we ask God and wait around and expect God to be a magic genie with no effort or work.
N.T. Wright in the same book makes this point as well by saying, "When people consistently make choices about their patterns of behavior, physical changes take place within the brain itself." His point here is that people's conscious actions "train" themselves, much like an athlete, to take on the virtues of Christ. That again, much like an athlete, conscious practice and time must be spent on realizing the areas that need work. In short (and in my words) change can happen when we consciously practice the areas we are wanting/needing to change.
The prayer for God to change us is a great one. The fault of us is thinking we are done. God's transforming power allows these opportunities of practice, where real change can occur.
I enjoy the home make-over shows. Name one, I like it. The problem I have with these shows is the fact that these homes are renovated so quickly. From experience, home renovations take time. It's a piece here and project there. Take your yard as an example. I've worked on a yard once before and am currently working on getting our yard pretty. In these home make over shows, the yard is at mature, beautiful age within two days. Everything is in place. Everything is green and gorgeous. The problem is, a yard doesn't work that way. Maybe more so today, but trees, shrubs and grass take time and care to cultivate to a mature and beautiful yard.
You get my point here? Change doesn't happen the next morning. Change occurs over time with much attention and work. If I allow the weeds in my work-in-progress yard to grow, they will take over. I think this analogy could be used for many areas of life, but very true for this conversation. You can change, but you have to do your part.
Doing our part doesn't take God out of the picture. I think it honors God. Going back to our prayer for patience; we pray for patience but in order for us to become more patient, we must practice and cultivate patience. Does't this conscious decision and action honor God? It's not taking God away, but recognizing God provides the opportunities and strength for us to change. In our yard, we can plant, manicure and water, but God is the only who can make it grow. The things we don't want to grow will come up without our help, but our attention to the yard will allow God's good, beautiful things to grow.
If you're still reading, thanks. Let me close with a quick example from my own life.
I remember a couple of conscious decisions to change in my life. One of the more recent decisions was when my gentle wife made me aware of the fact that I become "grumpy" and "mean" and "short" when I was hungry or tired. I didn't even notice my behavior during these times. But she did and she noticed it wasn't a kind characteristic and one that was ultimately hurting my family.
I can remember driving to dinner and being "angry" and having this conversation and realizing it was true. I prayed to God and made a decision right then and there that I would change.
I've messed up since that decision. I've reverted back to "mean" Travis at these times, but when I do I catch myself (or my family does). I pray for God to help. I apologize and become even more aware of the behavior and more aware to not act that way.
Now, I can't tell you what my family would say, but I feel like I've made some great strides in this negative behavior that was hurtful to others. I'm not perfect, but I am conscious. I am aware and trying to cultivate a more Godly behavior rather than a mean spirited one.
It's not a change that I can acquire. But it is one that God can accomplish when I cultivate the pattern for it. When I say "yes" to God through my choices and actions, I provide the groundwork to be in a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God. Not through my possessions.
You can change. I know it's true because I've seen God change me, but only when I open myself to Him.
