“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”  Romans 12:2 (NLT)

I don’t know about you, but I struggle with change.   I get comfortable and complacent; I am afraid of the unknown.  Fear drives me back to that place of security, especially when I cannot see what’s up ahead.  We all do.  We can’t help it.  Sometimes it is all we have ever known.

As Christians, when we are faced with change, we run back to our comfort zone like a frightened child runs to his parents.  That place of contentment we call home; that we have come to know and love is not always the best thing for us.  Sometimes it is a danger to our health, or worse, a danger to our souls.

As I reject change and visit places of my past, Proverbs 26:11 comes to my mind.  It states “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.”  I really do not like this verse. It seems rather harsh. I hate to think of myself in these terms, but God’s word is truth, and this verse holds true in my own life.  I talk about making changes, and then I go back to that comfy, cozy, unhealthy place; a place where the old Julia once lived.

We pray for new eyes that warn us not to return to things that are not of God, forgetting the past.  We pray that we will go in another direction.  Our faith helps us trust in a “new” way; a “new” instinct, one that God drives, not us.

We can persevere through change toward the goal that God has laid out before us, “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.  Press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 3:13b-14 (NIV).

A pastor once said, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change.”  I’ve quoted this many times over the years, and people in my life have grown tired of it, but it restates what Paul was trying to tell us in Romans 12:2.

We can change the way we think in order to learn God’s will for us.  And God’s will for us is good and pleasing and perfect.

Peace be with you.

~Julia