Skip to main content

Changing Everything Changes Nothing



            “We cannot fix what is wrong on the inside of us by re-arranging what’s on the outside” - Rick Atchley.
            Intellectually, most of us would agree with the truth of that statement.  It makes sense.  However, in practice, we do just the opposite. 
            I know lots of people who act on the principle that says, “If I just change… (fill in the blank)… then I will be happy” and sometimes they are right.  Sometimes one small change yields big results.  More often than not, though, if people are not happy where they are, then they will not be happy in another place.  Buying a new house, getting a new job, or moving across the country may provide a temporary distraction and something new to think about, but in the end you still end up with the one thing that has not changed; you!
              Churches fall into this trap too.  Many think, “If we just … (fill in the blank)… then we will start to grow.”  Therefore, they throw out the pews and bring in chairs. They change the order of their worship service and they type of music that they use.  Often all this does is unsettle the people who were there and liked what was being done in the first place.  Moving things around and changing a bunch of stuff does not usually provide long term results. 
             So if we know that changing external things really changes nothing, why do so many groups, organizations and individuals continue to do it?
            Because it is easy!
            It is easier to change jobs than it is to change yourself.  It is easier to rearrange some of the details of your life than it is to renovate the core things.  Working on the surface will always be quicker than fixing what is wrong on the inside. 
            However, God invites you to look deeper.  In Ezekiel 36, he says: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you” (verse 26). 
            God does not want to just rearrange a few items in your world. He wants to give you a new heart, a new spirit, a new outlook and a new start.
            Granted, this may take some time.  It may not be quick or easy, but it will be lasting and it will change everything.
            “What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now!” (1 Peter 1:3-4)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: What is so Great About Grace?

If you were to drive by our house, you would see that Sara loves plants.  Our yard is full of flowers, and Sara lovingly tends every one of them. Which is why I was so afraid when she left town and put me in charge of keeping things alive. She must have been a little concerned, too, because she sent me two videos with specific instructions on how to water, when to water, and what to do.  Honestly, those first two videos helped, but the third one she sent was the one I liked most.  In that one, she said, “Please do your best. I want the yard to look good for the family reunion in two weeks.  However, if something dies, we will dig it out and pretend that it never existed!” That is what grace looks like!  Try your best, do what you can, but if it goes wrong, it will be ok. Sometimes we talk as though grace and effort are opposites.  That is not true.  They are partners. In one place, scripture asks, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone c...
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: Press The Button!

  Consider This:  Press the Button! My favourite TV game show is Jeopardy.  I used to like it even more when my kids were younger, because I could easily beat them and look smart.  These days, after they have grown up and gone to university, it is much more difficult.  However, Jeopardy is still the only game show I will watch. In a book I read, a contestant who did very well on the show shared the secret to his success.  He said (and I am paraphrasing here), “You must press the button before you know the answer.  Everyone on Jeopardy is smart. Everyone knows the answer. The key to winning is to act.  You must jump in and press the button, assuming that your brain will catch up and supply the answer.  If you wait until you are sure, you will be too late!” Press the button! Too often, we hesitate, not because we do not know what to do, but because we do not want to do it.  Sometimes, we fail to act because we are not sure how the situatio...
Post a Comment
Read more