The Challenge of Change - January 1st

​There is no better time to talk about change than on January 1st. Change is a force.  “I’m sticking to this diet”, “I won’t take her back into my life”, “I am going to be on time for work every morning”, may be some of the resolutions that you put in the atmosphere during this time of year but there are challenges with change. The past is resistant. It doesn’t give up its spot easily. The past finds comfort in remaining the same whether good or bad. It creeps up in inopportune moments. The past can be such a free loader, even when it has over stayed it’s welcome. 
Well, what is change? Change is creation of something new. It is the battle with the past. In Genesis 1:1-3 it says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light”. For believers this was the first change of all time.
Let me stop there. Just to merely read these words mean little but this is an example of God’s infinite power; to say it and it is so. How awesome it was to create what didn’t exist before. Like a mother reprimanding a child, “get your tail up stairs”, the universe moved just as swiftly. The atmosphere had a response. The “darkness” had an essence and it changed to the dominance of God. 
And when God changed “darkness”, the whole definition of “Black” changed. Once meaning, “formless and empty, now it was “the absorber of light”, “the gatekeeper of illumination”. Darkness became light’s carrier and it’s purpose was more effective. Change is not always the complete destroyer of what was. It can also be an elaboration of what needs to be.  
Some scientist call this creation the “Big Bang Theory”. They describe this period as an enormous explosion that brought light. And I believe that to be true with the exception that it couldn’t just happen. There has to be a force behind change and this force was God. And for God to speak the creation of light, it truly had to be explosive.
God saw darkness was necessary but “light” was good, therefore he had to change the universe. I believe we can’t fathom that type of lightening, that kind of move, the insurgence of change. And I believe “darkness”, tried to give God a fight. Not on an emotional level like our flesh but on a level of “this is what it is” (“Is over Am”). Yet it didn’t work.
Change is death to what was and we know the past gives a hell of a fight. We also know something new comes out of death. Who was the first to put salt on that baked potato or to transport goods with a wheel? It took discovery to change and habits, attitudes and behaviors that were once displayed had to get out of the way to make room. Even if the change is small, “no more fast food”, those old behaviors must be replaced with new habits. And the darkness had to share its space with the light. 
So what does it take to make a change? First, you must face what needs to be. My mama said, “you can’t fix nothing you don’t face”. “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” God did an assessment over the situation before he forced the darkness to make room.  You must identify what’s needed.
I blow myself away with how far I got into debt. I couldn’t look at it, leaving mail unopened. If I didn’t have the money, I couldn’t face it.  I refused to take the time to identify and instead let debt encompass me. Yet God “hovered” over the waters. He watched the activity of the dark. Losing 50 pounds is only possible with knowing 50 pounds needs to be lost.
Next you need to speak the change. It needs to come out of your mouth. “And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light". That spoken word was the reality. By saying it, it was.
Lastly is the work. You must create. You must build. Your response must be different. “I can’t believe he cheated on me again.” Well of course he cheated because you cursed him out and in 24 hours you were back to business with him as usual. To make a change your response must be different. Your consistency must be on point and your determination must be your driver.Write down your goal and face it every time you are tempted to go back. Some use sticky notes, while others create vision boards. There is no wrong strategy. This is were you exercise, where you stop smoking, where you pass that restaurant. This is where you renew your mind. God created the darkness but created something new on top of that. God is the author of change. 

I wish everyone a Happy New Year. Be the change God’s created you to be. Agape.