Change In Our Lives

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

    As much as a daily routine can be a good thing, it is easy to get in a rut. There are days when I feel like I’m on a ferris wheel. I get up, go to work, go home, sleep, then get up and do it all over again, day after day. Even a one-day change of routine or a day off doesn’t seem like enough to get me out of the rut.

    Many of us desire change, and businesses today use high pressure marketing strategies to convince us that what they have to offer is just what we need. With many people, the desire for change can become a type of addiction. As with any type of addiction, that desire can’t be fulfilled by anything but God.

    In our fast-paced society, we have the ‘worldly’ tendency to make impulsive changes. Those choices often produce outcomes such as debt, divorce, lost relationships, etc. which are never good. Therefore, as Christians we should rely on God’s guidance for changes in our lives. We shouldn’t wake up one day and abruptly decide to move to another state or quit our job. We should pray about it and let God put the desires and direction in our heart. When we follow His direction, changes will be blessings not chaos or negativity.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach,
and it will be given to him.
James 1:5

    One question we might ought to ask ourselves is “Has God put a desire for change in my heart or am I following the world in desiring change?” If it’s a desire to get a bigger house, or a fancier car then it’s probably your desire, not God’s. Relationships are also an area in our lives we desire change. Because of our character defects, relationships are difficult. Many people have the tendency to walk away instead of seeking God’s direction in keeping those relationships healthy. (having said that, we should not stay in relationships that are extremely toxic) We have a tendency to do what is easy instead of what God would desire for us.

    Change can be positive or negative and can be a result of something we do, something someone else does, or something uncontrolled by any human.

    Little things like cleaning or rearranging a work area or an area of the house can be positive. This week I cleaned my office. It was a small yet motivating and uplifting change, a sense of ‘newness’. 

    Weather can also be a positive change, a type of new beginning. The past couple of days, the weather has been really nice (despite the Kansas winds), convincing us that we might have a Spring this year. The trees budding and beautiful flowers beginning to bloom is a refreshing sight from the dry brown grass we’ve seen all Winter. Each season brings a type of ‘newness’.  Years ago, I had a job in retail. We noticed that sales were up when there was a change in the weather, even bad weather. That change created a small break in routine.

   While we can implement small changes on our own, God wants to be involved in EVERY part of our lives, big or small, but we especially need to rely on Him for the BIG changes.

    The most important changes made in our lives should be ones that bring us into an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. By seeking Him and His direction in every change, big or small, we will grow closer to Him.
 
~Joanie Lawrence-Cain