To Change or not to change

Editorial by Jerry Lutz

With the passage of time and a new year on the horizon comes the inevitability of change. This can either be an exhilarating, exciting prospect, or a dreadful, fearful thing, depending on what kind of change we are talking about. Involuntary change that is caused by natural processes, a traumatic event or an unwise decision that negatively affects one’s life is one thing and is certainly never welcomed by anyone.

On the other hand, intentional, purposeful change that brings resolution to stressful circumstances, opens doors to new opportunity or relieves anxiety is the kind we all desire and hope for.

In either case, change doesn’t come easily to creatures of habit like me. And I know I’m not alone, judging, for example, by how many regular church-going people sit in the exact same place every Sabbath week after week, sometimes for years! (I’ve noticed this from the pulpit-vantage-point of several churches during my 48 years of ministry.) We are, indeed, creatures of habit.

That’s because most of us prefer familiar surroundings and predictable circumstances instead of untried, untrod territory that may threaten our peace and contentment. Why rock the boat? Go with what you know. Play it safe, right? Comfort zones are secure places where we feel comfortable and less threatened. It’s why we like to stay in them and why we resist when someone or something tries to push us out of them. That’s fine if our safe place is healthy, happy and holy. But here is where we must be careful. The perceived safe places in our lives can have hidden dangers lurking in the shadows, or may even, over time,become fraught with danger and confusion.

Consider this: Can we get so used to bad habits, bad attitudes and bad behavior that they become to us an acceptable, normal part of our daily routines, personalities and characters? Yes, we can, and, yes, they do. In fact, the Bible talks about a certain condition in which people cannot discern the difference between right and wrong. Worse yet, in some instances, the polarity between the two states of morality is turned completely upside down. Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (KJV).

Shocking, isn’t it? Can you think of any examples?

So, how does one avoid falling into the sorry, sad condition Isaiah describes? Or, if in it, how to get out of it? The apostle Paul gives the answer in Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will” (NIV). As Paul further explains in Romans, it is the presence of Jesus in our lives and the influence of the Holy Spirit that renews our minds and transforms us into His likeness. By beholding Him, we are changed. That is Good News! Just imagine the changes He can make in you, if you let Him.

Happy New Year! And may God bless you as you seek to do His will.

Jerry Lutz is the recently retired Chesapeake Conference president.