Written by Mike Alger
Most of us are creatures of habit. We like the comfort of our own homes; the furnishings are just fine. Our neighbors are okay and our community provides lots of conveniences. We’re content in our jobs and we don’t think about moving much. We live day to day with the same routines, expectations and acceptable outcomes. Life is good. But have you ever had those times when things just get shaken up? Like, all of a sudden, there are mechanical problems with the car. You look at this month’s auto insurance bill, and the rate just took an unexpected significant hike. Gas prices are going astronomical; and, on top of that, your teenager wants to start driving. It’s like a perfect storm. Just a month ago, replacing the car was the furthest thing from your mind, but today you’re almost forced to make an adjustment. An “adjustment?” Let’s call it change.
Now, here’s the peculiar part. Whenever things start to go awry, and we start seeing the signs that the usual norms are being upended, the onset of change is inevitable. Moreover, the introduction of any discomfort or pain is often a reliable precursor that change is about to come. Yet we know that as Christians, God has called us to change. In fact, God has created us for growth and to experience a renewed existence in Him. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…” When the Psalmist proclaims in 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Is he not speaking of change?
In John 15, we read about the vine dresser. He really has only one objective… to help make the vine fruitful. To that end, he carefully and meticulously prunes. He doesn’t just chop away sloppily, wasting branches that could bear fruit. But he strategically removes the dead branches that will not produce, while cutting back the good branches so that they will grow more vigorously and produce even greater yield. In our lives, we think of the uncomfortable process of being pruned by God as He divinely removes the parts of our lives He deems unnecessary. In this discomfort, can we be certain God is doing right by us? Jeremiah 29:11 states, “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” That God would give us the attention to reshape us is certainly a declaration of His love.
So, when we acknowledge that things are not running smoothly, we ought to be anticipating change. Now isn’t it interesting that in our culture today so many people are sensing things are going awry? With a global pandemic that set off fear, we watched many loved ones severely afflicted, even encountering loss of life. Then we had to adapt to new requirements; mask wearing, distancing, remote work, vaccinations, and many of us losing employment. We watched violent protests following the death of George Floyd and statues being toppled. We hear people calling for new ideologies revolving around identity politics and wokeism. We face the uncertainty of being cancelled if we voice an unpopular opinion.
No doubt the season we are living in has many of us scratching our heads wondering what strange unknown awaits us right around the corner. It is in a season like this that we should be bracing for change—not change as the world would prescribe for us, but rather the change that God calls us to. We know that it is through these challenges that growth happens. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” In this time, do you hear God calling you to change? If so, I encourage you to boldly embrace it with courage remembering Romans 8:37, “But in all these things, we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”