The desire to change is the key to growth in any area of life. George Bernard Shaw said, “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” Change should be to improve upon something in life. Most of us desire improvement. However, at the same time we often resist change. But you cannot have one without the other. Change is possible only if you want it badly enough.
Michael Jackson’s song “Man in the Mirror” speaks about making change in the world by “starting with the man in the mirror.” Instead of looking outwardly and blaming others, the song says a person has to take responsibility for the change you want to see. “Man in the Mirror” refers to people with not enough food to eat and people without homes, clearly speaking about poverty and the changes the narrator wants to make in that regard. The key message is that if you want to make anything happen for others or yourself, first you must look internally and ask yourself what you can do to make a difference.
Fred Smith, the founder of Federal Express, put committing to change this way: “You are the way you are, because that’s the way you want to be, if you really wanted to be any different, you would be in the process of changing right now.” Change is never easy. It takes lots of time, tremendous amounts of energy, perseverance, and desire. But the desire to change must translate into a decision to change. And you must make that decision day after day.
If you want to change, you must ask yourself a question. Are you going to keep working and trying to get better or is this as good as it gets? From a biblical perspective, change is put this way: “enlarge the place of your tent; and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare, lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.”
The fact is this: if you are going to commit to self-change you will have to think in terms of enlarging, stretching, lengthening, and strengthening your desire for change. The question you might ask is what do these words have in common? They all require commitment and persistence. That is what it takes to commit to change. The good news is that with God’s help, you can do it—starting not tomorrow but right now. So Never Give Up! Never Give Up! Never Give Up!
By Chaplain Ghosten
chaplain@lhp.net
