Change

Do you like change?  Some people like it more than others.  I remember when I was growing up, my mom liked to change the furniture.  I never understood why she wanted to move the couch, tables, chairs, TV, and everything else that was not nailed down.  About the time you got comfortable with where things were she would move them.  She would say something like, “Everyone needs a change every once in a while.”  And I would think, “No, not really.”  My family moved into a new house about a year and a half ago and my furniture has not changed.  If you come into my house in 10 years the furniture will probably be in the same place.  I do not like change as much as my mother does.

Whether you like change or not, most of us will have times in your life when things need to change.  Some may need to change the way they eat in order to be healthier.   Others may have problems in their marriage and the relationship needs to change.  Our prayer habits may need to change.  Some may struggle with loneliness so they need a change in their relationships.  The lives of some may be in such a mess because of bad decisions they have made that they need radical change in their lives.

When we realize that we need change in our lives it is important that we look in the right direction for that change.  Advertisers will tell you to buy change.  Oprah will tell you to look inside yourself for change.  Our instincts may lead us to eat when we need change.  Satan will lead people a lot of places to look for change hoping they never look to the One who offers real change.

The One who made us and who knows us best tells us to look to Him for change.  When we look at the people who encountered Jesus we see that He brought meaningful change into their lives.  Jesus changed lives through His love and compassion, grace and mercy.  The widow of Nain’s life was forever changed when Jesus reached out in compassion and raised her son from the dead. Mary Magdalene’s life was changed by His healing touch.  The Samaritan woman at the well was an outcast who found purpose and meaning in her life after meeting Jesus and experiencing His “living water.”

Food will not bring meaningful change into our lives.  Neither will other people, or clothes, or the latest self-help book.  Meaningful, lasting, fulfilling change comes when we seek change from the One who saves us, Jesus Christ.

Where do you go to seek change in your life?