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Giving up the Resistance to Change

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Scripture Verses

  • Ecclesiastes 3:1–8
  • Matthew 8:24–27

Questions to Consider

  • Why is change hard?
  • What changes are you resisting that you know you need to make?
  • What do you do to embrace change?
  • How does Jesus help us change?

Plan of Action

  • We become creatures of habit. We fall into certain patterns. Today you are challenged to break a routine. Becoming comfortable changing smaller things helps us become more comfortable when the time comes to change bigger things. This is about training ourselves to become comfortable with change.
  • While everything around us changes, you need a solid foundation (see Matthew 8:24–27). Set a certain time of the day for prayer and the study of God’s Word. Stick to it. Don’t change the time of the day. Don’t let anything change this priority. Let that time of the day serve as your anchor.

Reflection

It is said the only thing certain in life is death and taxes. I would suggest another thing which is certain is “change.” That’s actually the point behind the saying. Nothing stays the same forever. Seasons come and seasons go (see Ecclesiastes 3:1–8).

But we resist change. We try as hard as we can to hold on to an ideal past or present. We romanticize about our glory days of the past. We try to keep things the way they are now. But part of the problem with the glory days is they were not as glorious as we make them out to be. The present is not much better. We would do well to envision a changed and better future.

In Matthew 4:12–17, Jesus begins his ministry. The message he preached was:

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 (ESV)

I want you to pay special attention to that first word which is “Repent.” Repent means to turn around and go in a different direction. Repentance is different from confession. Confession is to admit that I am wrong. Repentance is to actually stop what I am doing and to change my ways. Ultimately, repentance is about change in me.

Repentance starts with an open heart. Ask God to reveal in you what needs to be different. Ask him for the desire and the will to make the necessary change. There are many times when we know we need to change, but the change we need to make is just too hard. Rely upon his strength!

One of the keys to embracing the necessary change is having a solid foundation. If you have a solid foundation, change is not something to be feared. For us, our solid foundation is Jesus. He keeps us centered and secure. The Bible tells us:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (ESV)

He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the beginning and the end. He is the most certain thing we have in life. When our world is rocked, he doesn’t roll away.

There is also the change around us. That change will often come like a tsunami and there is no way to stand against that wave. We have seen sweeping changes over the landscape of America and the social climate. There are numerous approaches people take in regards to the change. Some will fight it. Some will bury their heads in the sand. Still others embrace it.

I may not always like what is happening around me. I may be upset about what is changing. I have found that when I am uncomfortable with the changes around me, it is time to go back to God and ask him what he wants to change in me. The problem is not always with what is happening around me, but the problem is often with what is happening in my heart. The world is changing everyday. If you allow God to change you and mold you, the future is full of exciting possibilities.

But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8 (ESV)

Next: Pride

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Giving up your Comfort Zones

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Day 2: Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Scripture Verses

  • Matthew 8:18–20
  • 2 Corinthians 4:7–12

Questions to Consider

  • What is something in your life you desire to change?
  • What are some of your comfort zones that keep you from making the desired change?
  • What are some steps you might take to move beyond those comfort zones?
  • How does Jesus help us move beyond our comfort zones?

Plan of Action

Try a new experience. Examples of things you might might do:

  • Try a new restaurant (if that is too much out of your comfort zone, try something different at your favorite restaurant).
  • Drive a different way home from work.
  • Volunteer in a new way with your church or with another community organization.
  • Introduce yourself to a person you don’t know. Make a new friend with someone who may look different, talk different, or think different. Learn who they are and not who you think they are.
  • Just do something that is not typically you.

Reflection

Outside your comfort zone is where the magic happens

Have you seen the picture above? I am not sure where it originates. I have seen it making its way around the Internet. The message is simple. The point is clear. Not much is going to change until we move out of our routine.

The cliched definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. But moving past what is comfortable is often difficult. We like the familiar and what we know. While many of us love the “idea” of change, what we don’t love as much is change itself. We have a way of settling in with familiar patterns.

After the Israelites were freed from their slavery in the Old Testament, they were left to wander in the desert for 40 years. The idea of their freedom sounded great while still in Egypt, but after a short time into their journey for freedom, they wanted to turn around and go back. Had they forgotten how bad off they had it? Were they not up for this new experience in front of them?

And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Exodus 16:2–3 (ESV)

There was no going back. After 40 years of living in the desert they entered into the Promised Land. But entering the Promised Land meant stepping out of what they knew in Egypt. It might seem like it would have been easy to leave Egypt and their slavery behind. They certainly did not love Egypt, but Egypt was what they knew.

What is your Egypt? What do you need to leave behind? What comfort zone are you holding on to which you don’t want to let go? You don’t love it. But it’s what you know. That is why it’s hard to let go.

Let’s start getting comfortable with the uncomfortable. It’s where the magic happens. It’s where God is experienced in new ways. It’s where life is lived to the fullest and joy is experienced on the journey.

When we encounter the Jesus of the Bible our comfort zone will be challenged. Jesus is all about new experiences outside our comfort zones. He called Peter out of the boat (Matthew 14:28–31). He asked the Rich Young Man to give up all his wealth (Matthew 19:21–22). He went against the status quo and challenged the religious establishment of his day (Matthew 23:1–36). Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head (Luke 9:57–58).

Jesus does things differently. He has a way of helping us see things with new eyes. The truth is there is no going back to Egypt. The question is whether we will embrace the journey to the Promised Land. The more we let Jesus be our guide, the sweeter the journey becomes.

Previous: Fear of Failure

Next: Feelings of Unworthiness

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