CHANGE

Change comes to us in many forms. Some planned—some unplanned. 

This has been a year of change for me. Change in my perspective. Change in where I live. Change in where I worship. Change in where I work. Most importantly – change in how I choose to live my life.  And in the midst of this change I see great new opportunities. 

One of the changes for me will include writing to this blog on a regular basis thanks to the encouragement of a good friend. I got out of the habit of writing for many reasons but now as I enter into phase two of a professional life—one that I hope will be honorable and fulfilling—I want to share my experience, strength, and hope with others. I also hope that those of you seeking or walking a life of transformation will share your stories with me and my readers. 

So what then is change and transformation?  Romans 12:2, which first inspired this blog, says that we should let God transform us into a new person by changing the way we think (See my Sept 2009 posting).  The American Heritage Dictionary defines change as: “a) to cause to be different, b) to give a completely different form or appearance, to transform.  In Jeremiah we are told the story of the potter and the clay. If we are willing to give up control, God can move in our life to change our behaviors and attitudes.  If we are willing to take action we can find a way to a fresh start. We can crush out those things that have trapped us and reshape our lives.

The Potter and the Clay (Jeremiah 18 )

The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, ² “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” ³ So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. ⁴ But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.

⁵ Then the Lord gave me this message: ⁶ “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand. ⁷ New Living Translation (NLT)

Transformation then involves an act of willingness. It doesn’t matter if one is talking about not drinking or drugging, about eating better, spending wisely, or simply developing a spiritual life that draws us closer to the Lord. The first step is to take the first step. 

Pia Melody (pg 68) writes that “everybody is imperfect. It’s the nature of the human being to be imperfect.” In Genesis 1:27 we are told: “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” We also learn that sin makes us imperfect. In Romans 7:15-24 Paul describes a place where most of us find ourselves—wanting to do better but falling short. Imperfect.

¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. (New International Version)

I would posit that most of us have spent a fair amount of time striving for that original perfection and beating ourselves up for failing to meet the unattainable. So how then do we reconcile the gap between perfection and imperfection that is evident in our sometimes irrational behavior?  

Keith Miller in A Hunger for Healing wrote about the struggles he continued to have after committing his life to Christ. His imperfection. Miller describes the need to take responsibility for our behavior and how once can regain a sense of self through healing and a spiritual relationship with the Lord.

My hope is that in sharing my spiritual journey of transformation that others will step on the path with me and share their experience with others. I will draw from many sources, beginning at the beginning with the Word found in scriptures. I look forward to your comments, your sharing, and your support. 

Here we go!!!

References:

 http://www.piamellody.com/

 http://www.keithmiller.com/