29 June 2024
‘Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise.’ Ecclesiastes 7:10 NIV
Two more reasons we resist change are these: 1) Because it feels awkward and uncomfortable. When was the last time you tried something for the first time? Can you name it specifically? If you can’t remember, your comfort zone may have turned into a rut. A sign on a wall contained two statements. The first had an X through it. It said, ‘If it ain’t broke – don’t fix it.’ The second read, ‘If it ain’t broke – break it!’ Sometimes the only way to ‘get out of the box’ is to break out. 2) Because we cling to tradition. The Pharisees could not receive the truth Jesus shared because they were bound by their traditions. And many of us still cling to tradition. We assume that if something is a tradition (a long-established pattern of behaviour), it has to be a better way. That’s not necessarily so, as change agents like Thomas Edison and Henry Ford demonstrated. Question: how many traditionalists does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: four – one to change it, and three to talk about how wonderful the old light bulb was! Bottom line: when a tradition connects you to other people or to your personal history, it can be good. If it doesn’t, maybe it’s time to try something new. The Bible says, ‘The way of the righteous…shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over’ (Proverbs 4:18-19 NLT). So, what changes do you need to make in your life?
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