Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - CHANGE

                                                           

                              CHANGE

Most people resist change. We seem to be comfortable for the most part on the way our lives have been, are, and in which they seem to be going. Even when we are dissatisfied with the way things are, it often seems too difficult to effect a change unless we get to the end of our rope. When things appear to be the bleakest is when change is most likely to occur.

This is in accordance with Newton’s first law of motion which states that:

an object at rest stays at rest, 

an object in motion stays in motion in a straight line and at constant speed 

unless acted upon by an external, unbalanced force.

This explains why change may be difficult to initiate, for the universe as a whole tends to resist the new action, energy, or initiative that change requires. And so, for almost everyone, change can be difficult. This is why the Bible implies that change is often better taken slowly, in baby steps, rather than all at once.

When God first contacted Moses about leading the Jewish people from Egypt, the first thing He mentioned was:

…Do not draw near this place. 

Take your sandals of your feet… 

(Exodus 3:5)

…a small simple step in first drawing near to God in a holy place, but one with far reaching consequences.

And then Jesus saw the paralytic who had been lowered down to him from the roof, He said simply:

 

…arise, take up your bed, and go to your house. 

(Mark 2:11)

A simple statement to which the paralytic had to respond by accepting the change offered him. 

When Jesus saw the brothers Simon and Andrew casting their nets into the sea, Jesus simply said:

“Follow me.”

(Matt 4:19)

And

They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

(Matt 4:22)

So, the first step they did was to just drop their nets, a small one but necessary if they were to make the change required of them.

There are other examples as well, but the idea is that any change must begin with the first small step; just as any journey requires that first step to break the inertia that we all have in feeling comfortable where we are. If one is in a rut or involved in an activity that they regret, then having the fortitude to take that first small step may be all that is required to eventually lead to the change one requires. And making the right change may just give you an eternity in which to be thankful that you did.

It can really be something to think about.