Changed

I have heard it said that the only constant is change. However, if you look at things from a larger perspective, the big picture, you typically see the same things happening over and over again. Real change happens when there is a major event, an encounter that shifts trajectory in another direction. We see it when people walk away from addictions or from lucrative jobs. Something prompted the change. Even in accepting Christ as your Savior, something prompted that decision and the change that flows from that decision.

Cycle of Change

One thing you need to understand is that overnight changes, rarely happen overnight. It is sort of like overnight success - it is an appearance not a reality. There is a change model we used in criminal justice that is utilized in most all of the social disciplines - especially when you are working as a change agent in people's lives. Here is snapshot of the model.

I am not going to spend a lot of time explaining the model but I will give you an example. I need to lose weight. I have spent plenty of time in pre-contemplation. I know there is an issue but I am not necessarily entertaining the idea of change. Contemplation occurs when I realize a change needs to happen. At this point you are thinking about it, pondering what needs to be done. Preparation is when the desire to change starts taking real action. In my case, I have rid my home of all white sugar and all white flour. I am sampling recipes for a new way of eating and digesting information. Once the fast is over, I will engage in action. I will follow this new way of eating, my goal is to be 80-90% on plan. During the action phase I will incorporate exercise and various other components to achieve my long lasting change. The action phase will take time. The larger your goal, the more extensive your action phase will be. Once you have reached the desired change you are in a maintenance phase or you fall into relapse. If you are successful in your maintenance phase, you have achieved lasting change, according to the model.

 

This model is applied to addiction, weigh loss, recidivism, and a plethora of other changes people want or need to make. You can even see how it applies to accepting Jesus Christ. I spent years in contemplation, decades really. I was aware and knew the truth but was unwilling to take action. Eventually, I went through my personal crisis that took me to a dark place and I knew the only way to turn was to Jesus. My preparation was researching churches, participating in an online Bible study, listening to Christian music and reading the Bible. If I am honest, my early preparation did not make a lot of sense, but I was soaking in everything I could. Searching.

CHANGED! 

Over the last two years and few months I have gone through a myriad of changes spiritually. For so long I wrote and spoke of my tiny faith, only to realize that seed had taken root and was growing. I was so focused on my past I could not see the fact my mustard seed faith had bloomed and was flourishing. During 2018, that has dramatically changed. I have more trust in the Lord than ever before. I have peace like never before. I have joy. I feel that I have changed. My parents have commented on my change. Even friends who have read the blog have noted a change in me over the last months. Does this mean I have really changed? Sometimes something creeps in and I think for a moment, "That is the old me" or "Is this really me or a phase. I pray it out of my way and cleave to what I know is true, but how do others know I have changed?

 

There have been moments over this journey where others have spoken words of life into my journey. They have commented on differences, but many of these people only knew pieces of my story. The pieces I allowed to be known. Until yesterday...

 

One of my best friends from back home reached out to me because she needed prayer. Her comment was, "I know you are a woman who prays". That is not a surprising statement to be heard from the folks I go to church with. It is not a surprise to my family...at least it is not a surprise anymore. To hear this from my dear friend brought tears to my eyes.

 

She and I were both brought up in church. I am certain we both always believed in God, but we were certainly not in any version of a committed relationship with God for many years. We spent many nights with a bottle of wine, trash talking people. We also went to our fair share of clubs. Our behavior was never way outside the lines, but certainly not behavior that resembled a Christian walk. To hear her call me a woman of prayer, a person of faith was more impactful than hearing it even from my Mom. This is a person who knows the true degree of change I have gone through. She knows I am different.

 

Yes, this is all stuff I already knew about myself. This was confirmation. Confirmation that my walk is being witnessed by others. Confirmation that the way I live my life is making an impact. I have been asking God to let me hear from Him. This was a God moment. A moment when the person I have become in Christ has made my past nothing more than a fading memory. We are told we are made new, but to witness someone see that in us is a gift only God can give.