Choosing to Change...

This week's quote is:

"Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before... either into a creature that is in harmony with God, ...or into one that is in a state of war with God. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other."

~ C.S. Lewis ~Mere Christianity

As I considered today’s quote, I realized the theme of making choices for change is a major part of my writing ministry. For today, I opted to share the first of a series of articles I wrote for a monthly column at www.Reflections-Magazine.com.

It's A Caterpillar's Life

Bonnie Winters

Overcoming Our Reluctance To Change

Why is change such a difficult thing for us as human beings? From the time we’re born, our lives are in a state of flux. Our bodies grow and change. Mentally, we’re bombarded by facts and sensations that affect how we interpret the events of our lives. You’d think we would be used to the idea of change. NOT!

Face it – changes are HARD (Heaven Appointed, Rarely Desired). Did you know most major life changes occur because of crisis events, not by conscious decisions on our part? Think about it a minute. Why does it take a heart attack to move a couch caterpillar to the gymnasium? Death, divorce or emotional upheavals are powerful motivators.

Consider your spiritual life. How did you make the decision to allow Jesus to be Lord of your life? Though some people were raised in Christian families and naturally grew into the Christian life, 99% of us were motivated to turn our lives over to His control because of a crisis. As long as we could handle things on our own, we didn’t need to ask the God of the universe for help. When we found ourselves at the bottom of the apple barrel looking up, that’s when we cried, “HELP!”

Have you heard the story of the man dangling from the knotted end of a rope? He fell off a cliff and hung there, hollering for help with all his might, but no one seemed to hear him.

Suddenly God answered him. “Let go of the rope. I’ll catch you.”

“Is there anyone else out there?” the man said.

It’s scary to “let go of control” and let Jesus take over. There’s no more leaf to cling to, no more branch under our feet, only the wind supporting our wings. And the truth is, until the fear of remaining on our leaf is greater than the fear of leaping into the wind, we won’t let Him take charge. We won’t change even though God prods us to shed our skin and try our new wings.

“You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by your deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4: 23-24 NIV).

So how do we overcome our reluctance to change? By learning to trust the Creator of the wind. Simplistic answer? Not on your life! It requires work – spending time with Him, talking to Him, listening to His words. Thankfully the process is two-sided. God is there each step of the way, prodding, encouraging and loving us. He is not the author of the crises we face – but each time we go through one, He goes with us, steadying, upholding and comforting us, drawing us closer to His heart, until we know that we know He holds us in the wind.

© 2006 by Bonnie Winters

(new quotes will be posted here every Friday)

If you would like to join us on: Tuesday, March 27th
Visit "Fruit in Season" to read her take on the quote and to leave your link along with the other participants.

http://www.fruitinseason.blogspot.com

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