Are you the standard?

Change...

What do you feel/think when you hear this word? Annoyed? Excited? Scared? It's too difficult. I love it. I thrive off of it.

Lately, the theme of "change" has seemingly popped its head all around me, in conversations with friends, sermons, times of meditation. I want to share the summary of these reflections that culminated in a quiet time a few weeks back...

I first directed my thoughts towards my relationship with God. He is changeless, the same yesterday, today, forever. He is holy and perfect. I, on the other hand, am imperfect, continually in need of change and transformation, until the day when I am glorified and made perfect in His presence. Sometimes it feels unfair that I am required to change, but regardless, it is a part of the process of this life, in a fallen world. God desires our transformation to become more like Christ and to be holy as He is holy (see Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 3:18; 1 Peter 1:15-16). But, He doesn't leave us alone in this process but comes alongside us and promises to bring the work He started in us to completion (Phil. 1:6, 12-13).

Then, I took my thoughts to horizontal relationships, examining my friendships and relationships with other human beings. It is probably not presumptuous of me to assume that in our interactions with others, to a certain degree we want others to change. I may not exactly like the way someone jokes or the "x" attitude of another. And, so maybe sometimes I shut out or avoid some people because of whatever it is that irks me, because I don't like it. But, really, when I examine this further, I'm essentially making a list of "preferences" of how I want others to interact with me, making myself the standard. As I already reflected on, I'm imperfect, and only God is perfect. Therefore, making myself the standard to which others need to change and conform is truly ridiculous. Upon seeing this- the natural attitude and reaction of humans everywhere having been pinpointed- I chose to declare that that will not be my mode of operation. Instead, I asked God, that by His grace, He would help me take the more difficult route, which is in humility laying aside my preferences and if need be, changing myself in order to maintain harmony in my relationships and truly love others. As Philippians says, "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others" (2:3-4). 


And so continues the journey of learning to love as He loves, continually molded, shaped, and changed by Him.

God, let it be so in my life. Have your way in me.