I’ve been thinking about change a lot lately. Jeremy and I recently went to a weekend workshop where the focus was entirely on talking about change. Here’s the thing. Change is inevitable. We can either embrace it or dig our heels in and talk about “the way things were.”
I think the older you get, the harder change gets. You have a lot of life experiences. Technology is changing so much that it’s hard to keep up. Not only is it hard to “keep up with the times,” but it’s hard to change our ways and “how we’ve always done it.”
I recently read a devotional that referenced Matthew 3:2 where Jesus says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” I’ve always associated the word repent with shame and condemnation. I’ve done something wrong, so I need to repent. Did you know the Greek word here actually means to turn around, to change? That’s it. Just change. I can’t be so in love with my way of thinking and my way of doing that I’m not willing to turn away from myself and change. It doesn’t even have to mean that I’ve done something wrong. Maybe I just need to be brave enough to change the programs, thinking, and ways I’ve always relied on.
God calls us on a journey of faith to change, to let go. In Matthew 18:1-5, He even says that unless we change and become like little children, we won’t enter the kingdom of heaven. When I think of a child’s mind, they are open, curious, question askers. They are absorbing and learning, and their minds are so very impressionable. They aren’t closed to anything.
Change ain’t easy. I’m sure we can all agree on that. As I walk on this journey of faith, my goal is to keep that childlike open, pliable mind so that change doesn’t cause me to dig my heels in and live in the past. There’s freedom that comes from letting go. I’d rather use my energy experiencing what’s to come than dwelling on what was.