I disagree. Don’t get used to it. It'll go up and then down, then up again. But it will change; nothing ever stays the same. Life is a series of stops and starts, interruptions, diversions and distractions. Just when you think things are settling down, something happens, and you’re going a different direction.
If the goal of our Christian journey is transformation (Rom. 12:2), then we can expect lots of 'change.' In fact, a lifetime of changes, that will transform us from lovers of self to lovers of God, from takers to givers, hearers to doers, and from self-centered to Christ-centered. Transformation is a process that shapes and restructures us. And it will last a life-time if we are to become fully conformed to Jesus. Honestly, I'm not always excited about changes (Rom. 5:3), but I do think I'm beginning to get used to it.
Hello Dr. Greg,
ReplyDeleteI was a gas pump jockey back in the mid to late 70's. I can remember the lines, the even / odd days. And I remember the tension whenever I had to close the station because it was out of gas. Though people were being forced to adapt to changes with which they did not agree, they were unhappy and rebellious. "I want my addiction, how I want it, where I want it, when I want it!" Raised on cheap available energy, anything else is a strain!
There was promise that the newly created Department of Energy would have a mandate that free the US from dependence on foreign oil, but now almost 4 decades later, that promise now appears empty. So much for trusting government and politics to create meaningful solutions.
Though not all change is growth, all growth requires change. And almost all change is out of our comfort zone. But out there in that special place of God stimulated personal growth there lies the opportunity for a more qualitatively richer experience of faith, as you have noted, because it is "transformation," not just "me made more."
Grateful to God to be in His grip, and wishing you all of His best,
Larry Q
thank you again, Larry. I suppose those were the days when they were called 'service' stations, and the service attendant washed your widows and checked your tire pressure. Hard to believe. You're certainly correct: not all change is growth, especially changes in morality!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Greg