Change Me

Change.

To a baby with a dirty diaper it is a sweet and comforting thought.  But to a lot of other people it can be a frightening, frustrating and confusing consideration.

Sometimes we know we need to change something in us, or have something changed for us.  We can get that sense that we have bumped up against the wall and can't get any further until a change happens.

But this can be a tough thing to do for a number of reasons.  We can avoid change if we are filled with fear of the unknown.  Change means something new, something that hasn't been before, or at least not for a long time.  It means that what we once knew will no longer suffice as a guide or roadmap because we are now in new territory.  That can be a disconcerting feeling, one that is strong enough to prevent ourselves going down that road.

Another reason we can avoid change is that it can be frustrating.  We don't always know how to make the changes happen.  Sometimes the very things that need to change are the same things that prevent us from embracing it.  We don't know how to think brand new thoughts because our old ones are so entrenched that we simply don't have the answers on our own.  This can feel so disempowering that any motivation to move into the change fades away into the background.  Unfortunately, this only adds to the frustration, at least until one becomes numb to it and that is a dark place indeed.

The last challenge I will mention is confusion.  We might have an idea of what change needs to happen in our lives, but then as you consider the options more and more possibilities come into view.  So many, in fact, that it becomes nearly impossible to navigate all the different scenarios.  It becomes a matter of choice then, and who is to say that one is better than any of the others?  This can lead to paralysis and no movement happens at all.

If this represents you, then I want to suggest a way through.  Instead of saying "I need to change" try saying "Change me."  The difference is that the first is all on you to accomplish it.  You have to figure it out; you have to have the motivation and the will to follow through;  it's all on you!

But to say "change me" is to have a heart that cries out to someone else to help with the process.  This is an acknowledgement of the need to change and the admission that you can't do it on your own.  It's too frustrating, too frightening, too confusing.

But there is a way--a great way!

Jesus understands us so very well.  He loves us, cherishes us, is really meaning it when he says that he is for us and not against us.  He is not indifferent, doesn't desire to stand at a distance from us, and is ready and waiting for us to simply ask!

Matthew 18:3-4 says "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

I want to enter the kingdom of heaven again and again.  This means more than just a salvation message, though it means that too.  Jesus wants us to walk in the "light, as he is in the light", and that means daily, hourly--again and again.  He wants us to live in such a way that we become lights that shine in the darkness and the only way I can do that is if I humble myself.

Are you wondering how to change?  Do what Jesus says and make the only right decision that is available to you to make:  say "I need you".  Become like a little child who doesn't know much beyond the immediacy of the parent who stands in front of them saying  "Just hold my hand and I will be OK", that's about as deep as a very young child thinks and it is enough.

We are to do the same.  Hold Jesus' hand--let him lead.  He really wants to.

So today, as you face all the turmoil in your spirit, knowing that a change needs to happen but not knowing what to do, or how to move forward, just humble yourself and say to Jesus "change me the way you want to see--I trust you."

You will see the kingdom of heaven.

BT