Do change!

 CHANGE.  Okay, so this may not be the best word to open a blog with if I intend to convince you to keep reading.  I realize that this word is nearly a curse word to most people.  There aren’t many of us that enjoy or welcome change.  Most of us enter into change being dragged, kicking and screaming.  The ironic things about change is though we dread it, there is not one of us that couldn’t think of at least one thing we’d like to do, or be, or see changed in our life. Whether it be our hair, our body, our marriage, our neighborhood, our job, our financial status, a relationship–we all have something we would change yesterday if we could! But it’s amazing to me that while we may want things to change,  we don’t necessarily want to change ourselves and we certainly don’t want to do anything out of our comfort zone to make those changes occur! But to talk about change? No problem! 

Have you ever noticed how often we say things like:

 ”If only I could lose weight…”

“If only I could have muscles like that…”

“If only my husband treated me better…”

“If only I knew the Bible better…”

“If only my kids and I were closer…”

“If only I could…”

“I wish I had more friends…”

“I wish I had more faith…”

 I love how sometimes we put off change by saying “Well, I’m just gonna pray about it!” That’s a great way to procrastinate changing isn’t it?

What a joke! (I’m laughing at myself too—don’t worry!)

But as God once pointed out to me, let me ask you: Have you ever read the book of the Bible located after the four gospels?  It’s called the book of Acts, because it is there where we find the Acts of the Apostles of Jesus Christ.

 Found among the pages of that book are the acts and the happenings of the apostles after the death of Jesus, as they were busily traveling the world, evangelizing, preaching the Word of God, healing the sick, helping the needy, feeding the poor the Bread of Life.  It is the true account of the apostles doing the will of God, not just praying about it and certainly not just talking about it! These men heeded the call to go out and do something to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Sure, they prayed, but they also did all they could to change and impact the world, one person at a time, one miracle at a time. 

 I believe we can learn something from the apostles. They were doers of the Word not hearers only which is exactly what we are instructed to be as found in James 1:22.   In the Gospels, Peter wanted to walk on water.  You might recall the story found in Matthew Chapter 14.  Peter and the disciples were out on a small boat.  Peter looked out on the water and saw a figure coming towards him.  When he came to realize that it was Jesus walking towards him on the water, he thought to himself, “Man, if only I could walk on water…”   But instead of him just sitting there in the boat thinking about doing it, he asked Jesus if he could come to him on the water.  Jesus said yes and Peter stepped out of the boat and began to walk on water. 

Okay, okay…so Peter took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink…yeah, I’ve heard that sermon too.  But before we get all critical of Peter, at least consider this: He wanted to walk on the water but knew it would take more than just desire, it would require a step—literally! So he did it. Peter stepped out of the boat while eleven other cowards sat back and watched!  He had a dream and he stepped out, which is more than I can say for most of us. 

Now what good would it have done for Peter to sit in the boat thinking about walking on water?  What if he sat there and just prayed about walking on water? Would he ever have had the experience? Of course not!  If he really wanted to walk on water, at some point he would have had to step out of that boat! The way I see it, like Peter, we either shut our mouths and do it, or spend the rest of our lives talking about it, and regretting that we didn’t.

 Maybe, like me, you’ve come to that place.  Maybe you’ve been out on the boat of your life with dreams, hopes, and desires to see change.  You’ve thought about them, talked about them, prayed about them and even regretted not doing anything about them.  Well, I’ve got a pretty good idea that you’re not alone.  The good news is you’re still alive.  And as long as you can still think about them, dream about them, and regret them, you still have the opportunity to see them come to pass.  So what are you waiting for? Stop talking, pondering and seeking a sign…

If you want to lose weight then begin eating more balanced, healthy foods and get active! 

If you want to have muscles, then lift weights! (No, sorry! Just joining a gym wont do it–you have to actually work out at the gym regularly before you’ll see results! )

If you want your husband to treat you better, than be the wife God called you to be first. (Ephesians 5:22-25)

If you want to know the Bible better…then read it!

If you want your kids to be closer, then reach out to them in love–and dont expect them to reach back right away…keep showing up. They’ll eventually see you’re genuine!

If you want more friends, then show yourself friendly as the Bible says in Proverbs 18:24.

Okay, I think you got the point…

Oh yeah, and if you wish you could just do something you’ve always wanted to do…then do as Peter did… and step out in faith!

Or as Julia Cameron once said, “Leap and the net will appear.”