We have a problem, it’s called the New Years Resolution. Now, before you start thinking I hate New Years resolutions bear with me and read the whole post. Let me set the record straight, my problem isn’t in the day or the fireworks shooting off at 1:30 in the morning. My problem isn’t getting a group of people together to eat good food and reminisce about the past year, (I actually really like doing that). My problem isn’t even sitting around the family room surrounded by family and friends and sharing all the things we want or hope to do the coming year; after all, goals are good to have! My problem isn’t with any of those things, again my issue isn’t with the day. My issue is when we wait to change something until the clock hits midnight on January 1st. My problem is that we feel the need to wait to change… to grow… to improve… to mature.
In the past few years I have heard people say, “well, I better get all of this out of my system now because it’s almost the new year” or “next year I’ll turn the leaf” or “next year will be different”. I would reply with a simple question: “Why not now?” Now, if you’re still reading this, I want to make sure I say with all of the humility I can muster that I am guilty of this. I have said these things before. Whether I said it out loud or quietly to myself in the mirror I am still guilty of this because the heart doesn’t need to speak something out loud to reveal what it truly believes.
A few years ago I became certified in biblical counseling through ACBC (Association of Certified Biblical Counselors) and since then I have been given the opportunity to be one of the lay counselors at my local church and every time I meet with a new counselee we have what is called an “introductory session”. It basically lasts for anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half and consists of me listening to their story and asking a whole lot of questions. Near the end of our time I’ll usually take the last 10 or so minutes to talk about hope. Hope is an important word in everyone’s life especially to someone who feels like all they see is darkness and they don’t know how to change. But one of the phrases I make sure to say to them is that “Now is the perfect time for change, why? Because God wants to work in you today. Yes, he wants to work in you tomorrow but he doesn’t want to wait until tomorrow to get started”. Notice something very important. I didn’t say, “you know, it’s almost new years, come back to me then and we will talk about change”. First off, that would be terrible counsel but second it would be teaching them that they need wait to start implementing change in their lives. Not to mention that it could instill in them the belief that God’s work is like some sort of weird “change train” that they have to wait for to come back around to hop on board.
Now, just like the other posts of mine I do want to make sure I say that this might not be you. You might be one of those people who not only desires change but actually follows through with it without delay. If this is you then I would commend you and plead with you to keep going. To keep striving for growth and change so your life may look more and more like Jesus this year than it did last year. So, let’s look at a few helpful truths that we should remind ourselves of as we fight for change in our lives.
Truth 1: The “who” I want to reflect will dictate the “what” I will change.
The reality is that the reason we change things or want to change things is because we are either unhappy with who we are or are discontent with how our lives are. We start to eat better because we want our lives to be healthier. We change our appearance because we want those people to “finally see us”. We change jobs, location, climb the corporate ladder all to make more money and grow in leadership roles, why? Because we are unsatisfied with where our lives are at. Now, before you walk away and think I am saying that anytime you want change in your life is for a selfish reason hear me when I say this, that’s not true. There have been so many times in my life where I have changed jobs and went to pursue other things to grow in my leadership ability or make more money to help financially. Also, there is nothing inherently wrong with a lot of this. So go and climb the ladder and grow in your skill. Go and lift the burden of finances in your life and do so in freedom, but do them for the right reasons. Desire change in your life for the right reason and you can find out the “why” you want change by asking yourself the “why” question. Why do I want more money, why do I want to eat healthier, why do I want to exercise, why do I want this or that. Because it is the answer to THIS question that will simultaneously answer the question who do you most want to reflect in your life, the American dream or Christ. Happiness or Christ. Comfort or Christ? The world or Christ.
Truth 2: Keep it simple, there are only two things we can reflect. (Matthew 6:24)
No, there are not a vast number of things your life can reflect and praise the Lord for that! Since the fall of man in Genesis we have only been given the option to reflect the brokenness of the world we live in or the glory of Christ. You can desire to reflect the broken world around you but don’t be surprised when you find yourself becoming more and more like the world. You will show the world around you that the things the world has to offer are the most important things in life and if they don’t have them they are either behind or inferior and that fear of being behind or inferior will keep you chasing the next update, the next fad, the next style, the next new thing year after year. However, there is another choice. A far better, more magnificent choice, Christ. When the desire to reflect Christ leads us to pursue changing our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit we will begin to experience change that can only be described as sovereignly astounding because it is this kind of change that not only changes the way we live here on earth but also the direction of our lives eternally. It affects our desires and responses, our thinking and our planning, our “why’s” and reasons we do the things we do.
Truth 3: True heart change only happens in a changed heart.
See, I believe wholeheartedly that our pursuit of change is actually us trying to find how to be whole again. We know something is missing in our lives so we begin to hunt for what we believe can fill it. So, we look for more money and better jobs so we can be fulfilled. More relationships so we can love and be loved and better routines so we don’t feel as crummy throughout the day. But what if we are trying to find wholeness among things that are broken? What if we are trying to find that thing that will complete us among things that just leave us more broken? In order for us to experience true, lasting change we must first have had a changed heart. So, maybe this year starts by you making the biggest change a person can experience in life and that is to give your life to Christ because then and only then can your life start to look like his. Every vain effort of looking like Christ before you actually know him will always come up short because in order for your life to look like his your life has to be his. Then you will begin to see not only how broken you were and how desperately in need of change you were but you will begin to see how complete and whole you will become through him. You will truly begin to see how empty those things were you once chased with your whole heart as you begin to chase Christ with your whole heart.
Now, if you are reading this and can say that you have already given your life to the Lord then I urge you to continue on in the faith. To grow as image bearers of God as you are being sanctified by the truth that he has given us. May reflecting the Lord be your highest desire because if it is than your life will look like his and friends, that is very good.