“Change. It doesn’t come easy… I started doing things differently, slowly, being careful not to tell anyone lest I fail and be on display as a failure.”
If you read my first post, 3:23 Legacy Explained, you may recognize this quote from it. Several months back I was at a point where I had decided that change was in order. I didn’t have some life-changing experience that led me to this moment. I wasn’t going through a tragedy or trial in life. No mid-life crisis or hitting rock bottom. Life was simply moving along as it had been for years, and that was the problem. I knew there was more to life than what I had made of it. I knew that God desired a closer walk from me. I also knew that continued sanctification in my life, moving from a place of complacency towards sin to one of spiritual growth and holiness, would require sacrifice and change in my life and in my heart. I knew that it would take time and that it would not come easily. Still, undeterred, I began slowly taking steps towards a more Christ-honoring life. Prior experience had taught me that if I tried changing too much or too fast that I would fail, giving up under the weight of a seemingly impossible task. So, slow change it would be, and several months later things are going well, except for one big problem…
In his classic book Morning and Evening, Charles Surgeon says “Men will forgive a thousand faults in others, but they will magnify the most trivial offense in the followers of Jesus.”1 I’ve long been of the opinion and still hold to it, that Christians ought not to make it a point to tell others they are Christians with their words first, but rather tell them with their deeds. The problem with my efforts to grow spiritually is that I didn’t want anyone to know what I was trying to do. As Spurgeon attested to, Christians are held to an unattainable standard of perfection. For this reason, I simply wanted the change, if it came, to speak for itself. I did not want the accountability of others if and when I should fail. That’s a problem and its one that I needed to address. Enter the 3:23 Legacy blog. As I first considered writing this blog I realized that doing so and making it available for anyone to read would cause many people to suddenly hold me to a higher standard. I wasn’t okay with that at first, but now I am. In fact, now I welcome it. When you see me fail, as I inevitably will, please gently bring it to my attention. It’s possible I may not feel thankful in the moment, but you are helping me become who God has called me to be and for that I am thankful. Yes, my failures will be on display, but “God’s grace is sufficient for me and His power is made perfect in my weakness” – 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV, paraphrased.
Are you ready for a change in your life too? You can have it. It starts by asking the One who is able to change you to do so. There’s no secret prayer or formula you must follow. Sincerely ask God to work in you. Then, do your part to work with Him. When you fail (you will fail) brush it off, get back up and never ever stop trying.
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” – James 1:12
1 Spurgeon, Charles. Morning and Evening. New Kensington: Whitaker House, 1997.
What are your thoughts on this?