Change is Necessary

Change is difficult.  There is just no way around that.  Even the best changes carry with them some fear, hesitation, and trepidation, but change is so very necessary.  God imbedded it into the very fabric of His creation.  Think of it—the changes that occur in a human from birth to death, the changing of the seasons in nature…change is fundamental to God’s plans for us.

I recently watched a nature video that documented the phases of a caterpillar in its journey to becoming a moth.  It was fascinating.  The caterpillar began as a small thing, black and hot pink with long curled antennae wiggling at one end.  As it progressed in its stages, the antennae became smaller and the caterpillar’s colors changed to various shades of purple, green and yellow.  And not only did it experience color transformation, its body also transformed becoming more and more pudgy with every next step until its flesh bulged like several marshmallows squeezed and stacked together on a toothpick.

The thing that captured my attention, though, was the shedding of its skin.  It actually went through this process several times, and each time the steps of waggling, squirming, and shimmying the old skin off looked tedious, laborious, and frankly, painful.  To its credit, the caterpillar persevered each time until the old skin was completely removed.

I suppose it is the same with us.  We daily feed upon God’s Word and drink of His Spirit, and as we grow healthier and more robust in the Lord, we must shed off an old skin that no longer fits, and this may happen more than once because we are being sanctified and growing in the knowledge of the Lord.  Our old deeds and thinking must be put behind us because they no longer fit, and sometimes the process can be quite painful…tedious…laborious…just as with the caterpillar.  Take a look at this passage:

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.  You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.  But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.  Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”  Colossians 3:5-10

Change can be a very good thing, and as a believer in Christ, it is essential for our growth in Him.

Today, if we find ourselves in the throes of uncomfortable change, let’s embrace it.  It is necessary.  As we shed the old self, let’s accept the new things that God is doing in us and allow His Spirit to lead us into the next phase of growth.