Nowadays we can hardly get through one morning without hearing a quadrillion opinions about HOW we should live. This happens through a constant stream of stimuli that surrounds us every day, from social media, to music, to inspirational quotes. Many of these say something along the lines of ‘Don’t change who you are’ or ‘Just be yourself’. Even though being true to yourself is a good quality to have, there is also a lot of value in change that the world sometimes refuses to admit.
Throughout the Bible we see examples of a good kind of change. The book Ecclesiastes talks a lot about time, and how change is inevitable in the human life. We can even look to nature to see how the different seasons play essential roles in the coming of the next, and for life to continue. From these examples, we can see that change is not something that should be resisted, but rather it is something that should be embraced. If we don’t have a heart that is open to renewal, we will remain in the same place and never become who we were meant to be.
One thing that we must take note of when changing, is who we are changing for. If the change is not motivated from an authentic desire to live differently, we tend to give up quickly. Our first motivation is realising that even though God meets us where we are, He never intended to leave us as we are. A healthy relationship with God will transform us (Romans 12:1-2) and lead us to want to be more like Jesus Christ. Secondly, since our identity is rooted in God’s image, we can change to become the best version of ourselves, meaning that we change out of a personal desire and not because of the expectations that other people have. The good kind of change can be difficult, but we can find comfort in the fact that Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
Not only is this kind of change a good thing, but it can be necessary. Having goals or things we strive towards can give our lives direction and a sense of purpose. Think of Jeremiah 29:11, where God promises that His plans for us are to give us hope and a future. Some ways that you can be more open to change is by having good role models, imagining the person who you want to be, and setting monthly goals (instead of just a bunch of new-years resolutions). Also, have grace for yourself when you face new situations in life, and grow through what you go through. Jesus loves us too much to leave us as we are. Through His grace, we are changed and given a new life.
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Written by Eljoh van Rensburg
