Very few of us readily accept change. It’s just not in
our nature. Once we become comfortable with what we have and with who we are,
we have no desire to give this up, even if it is for the better. Ask any man
that has a recliner that he has wallowed to his perfection, if he would like a
new chair. Ask anyone if they would like to change sides of the bed they have
slept on for years. How about our place at the dinner table, or the pew we sit
on at church? We are definitely
creatures of habit, and habits are not readily broken. If someone attempts to
show us a better way, we will usually reject it. That which we have done
religiously for years has become our only way.
We find that this is also very
prevalent in the religious world. We have a comfort zone in our order of
service and understanding of scripture and dare not venture beyond what we have
been taught in years gone by.
In some circles, for a gospel minister to
admit to “change” could very well mean religious suicide. In the eyes of many,
he is never to be trusted again. If he “changed” once, he will more than likely
do it again. He is considered unstable and unreliable. It matters not if the move
was toward better scriptural understanding; he left his traditional background
and upbringing. In essence he has become a traitor to his teaching, which is
totally unacceptable in the minds of most “churched” people today. Apostle
Peter wouldn’t be around very long in many of the churches of today, after
acting on his “rooftop experience”
I have actually heard ministers say from the pulpit (in a
boasting manner) that the greatest compliment that could be paid them after
their death, would be for someone to say on their behalf that, “This good
brother never “changed”. “Nope! He never changed one bit”. “He never grew one
iota in the knowledge of our Lord”. “He remained till the day he died, just as
he was fifty years ago when he first joined the church”. If this is to be
considered as the most important accomplishment in a man’s life, his funeral should
indeed be considered a sad occasion.
Many are quick to say that they have no sympathy for anyone
who has changed, but consider this; What if our children never changed? We have
all seen the sad example of this: a child that has never matured in mind “locked”
in an adult’s body. He still thinks and acts as a child with no ability to
function in the world. Yet in a spiritual light, we imply that this is what we
want for ourselves as well as for those we love. Simply put, we do not want to
“grow” spiritually in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
As Apostle Paul so aptly put it, “When I was a child, I spake
as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a
man, I put away childish things. The Apostle was not speaking of the natural,
but rather of the spiritual man; using this language as an allegory, implying
that as we “grow” spiritually, we need to put away those things, which have no
true biblical foundation, in favor of those that are founded upon God’s word.
Having the desire and ability to change, with intent to
conform to God’s word, is nothing of which to be ashamed, but rather should be
cherished as a true gift from God. Let us therefore willingly accept changes in
our life, as well as others lives, as long the purpose is for honoring our Lord
and for growing in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
