The new year is an opportunity for change; an opportunity many will refuse to take. Some people avoid change with every ounce of their being. They want everything to stay just as it is, but that is unrealistic. The only way to grow or improve is to change. If you want to lose weight, you will need to change your diet and exercise program. If you want to read more in the new year, you will have to make room for it in your schedule, possibly your TV schedule. Change does not have to be a scary word—it can be the gateway to a better, more fulfilling life. Even small, intentional changes can lead to significant progress over time. In fact, let’s look at what five wise people have to say on the subject.
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1. “There is nothing permanent except change.” — Heraclitus
First of all, change is impossible to avoid. Things are constantly changing, from fashion and trends to the natural landscape. Some changes are difficult, like the loss of loved ones, but others are wonderful, like the birth of grandchildren. You could never have had grandchildren if your children had not grown up. In the long run, there is more to be gained from changes than everything staying the same. For instance, if a pond or other body of water ceases to move, it stagnates. Stagnation causes things like plants and animals to die. We, too, can become stagnant if we are not careful.
Sometimes, we have to let go of things in order to free our hands for something new and better. Last January I gave up dyeing my hair. It had become a losing battle because the color did not always cover all the gray and the need to color had gone from every six weeks to every four weeks. Most of the color has grown out of my hair now, and I have never gotten more compliments about my hair. It was time for a change. Now I have freed up time and money to finally practice my new hobbies of drawing and painting. I gain more enjoyment out of painting pictures than I ever did painting my hair.
Change is coming, so you might as well learn to embrace it and to use it for good. What are you holding on to that needs to be released? What could you gain from letting it go? I think you may find what you gain is even better than what you were holding on to.
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2. “A bend in the road is not the end of the road…unless you fail to make the turn.”—Helen Keller
Have you ever come upon a sharp turn in the road at night? I have, and it made my heart skip a few beats. If I hadn’t made the turn, then I probably would have hit a tree, which would have been the end of that particular trip. Most bends in the road are not usually that dramatic, but you wouldn’t know it by our reactions. No one will die if you have to cut a dish from the Christmas menu. Some of the best things happen when life doesn’t follow your plan.
On a road trip through New England one fall, three of us had picked out restaurants to visit based on a popular guidebook. For one reason or another, all of them were either closed for repairs or closed for the season, so we had to wing it. One morning, we left at sunrise to see a lighthouse on Cape Cod, and after realizing we were never going to make the hike across the sand, we trudged back to the car, tired and hungry. There were very few buildings, much less restaurants in this area, but as I rounded a bend, I saw a sign that said breakfast with an arrow to the right. I wheeled in and parked. It turned out to be the best breakfast I’ve ever had. The same was true for the rest of our trip. No, we didn’t follow the guidebook, but that turn in the road had something great to offer. We just had to make the turn.
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3. “You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” — C.S. Lewis
Some things, like the past, cannot be changed; however, you can make a change right where you are. Many people wait for the new year to roll around to make changes to their lives, but the Bible tells us that each day is a chance to see God do something new:
“Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19)
If God can make a river in a desert or a road in a wilderness, He can make massive changes in your life, too. The great news is you do not have to wait until the new year. You can start right where you are and do it right now. God has a good plan for your life as he tells us in Jeremiah 29:11. If you have not been following God’s will for your life, there is no better time to change than today. Ebenezer Scrooge is not the only one who has a chance to change the ending. It does not have to take a visit from three spirits to inspire it.
Take a moment and ask God what needs to change in your life. It will not happen overnight, but it will happen in God’s timing. Ask God what one step you can take today to move toward that change. Then, repeat that process each new day and watch God make a road in the wilderness that you never thought possible.
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4. “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” — Norman Vincent Peale
The saying “you are what you think” has truth in it because what you think becomes what you do. Proverbs 23:7 tell us, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” So, if you want something to change in your world, you need to start with changing what you think. First, you need to change what you think about yourself. Then, you need to change what you think about in general. When you do that, you can change your attitude about your situation and make a real difference in your world.
The book of 1 Peter talks about how you should view yourself as a Christian. Christians belong to God because we were bought with the blood of Christ. We are also His children, which means we have the Holy Spirit within us, the same power that resurrected Jesus from the grave. We have access to the power that can change us and our situation, or even just change the way we think about our situation.
We also need to change the things we think about. Philippians 4:8-9 tells us to think about things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report. Every day we are inundated with negative and often false information through social media and news media. Their goal is viewership, and nothing sells like bad news, but there is still good to be had in this world. It just takes a little more effort to see it. However, when we keep our focus on God and spend more time in the Bible, we are better able to see God at work in our world, and that is worth thinking about.
Changing your thoughts will change your attitude. A positive attitude goes a long way toward changing your world.
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5. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” — Reinhold Niebuhr
Change can be hard, but it can be even harder when change is not within our grasp. No matter how much we want to, we cannot change people or what they do. Sometimes that affects our own situation in a negative way, and we have no means to alter it. Other times we can make a change, but it is difficult and scary, like leaving an unhealthy relationship or job.
No matter what your situation, God hears your prayers. He can help you release people and situations into His hands, or He can help you have the courage to do hard things. The key is seeking wisdom to discern His will. That is when change happens, even if it is only in our own hearts and minds.
Heraclitus said change is permanent, but there is One who does not change: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). We can depend on His character no matter what changes may happen in our lives or in the world around us. He is the rock on which we can build our lives and the anchor that holds in the storm.
Christians are called to grow in Christ and become more like Him every day. In order to do that we will need to change, and sometimes God sends changes to help stimulate that growth. Yet, we can always rely on His unchanging grace to guide us and mold us as we navigate this ever-changing world.
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Originally published Monday, 23 December 2024.