I hate change.

I hate change. There, I said it. If you want to know what I hate: I hate change. Hate it with a passion. After celebrating (and dealing with) graduation, mom's remarriage, moving, and adapting to a stepdad and stepfamily, I thought, with some humor, Oh, God's trying to teach me about change. This is cool. I can adapt to change. Everything is going fine.

But I guess I spoke too soon. God isn't about coasting through life or simply taking what you're given and merging into your present life. God is about change.

See, if I became a Christian and then spoke the same way, watched the same movies, listened to the same music, befriended the same people, and thought about life the same way as I did before Christ (or as non-Christians do), then has Christ made a difference in my life? Or am I simply the same as I was before I met Christ?

As Christians, we've got to be different. We must be different, so we reflect Christ instead of this world. We do this through our choices in media as well as our actions, words, and thoughts. And while we are choosing cleaner, Godlier choices in media and words, God is in the process of refining our thoughts and viewpoints and feelings. This whole, entire movement or shift in our lives is a big change! It's a change towards Godliness, an adjustment in the direction of Christ along the straight and narrow path. In theology, we call it Sanctification.

Isaiah 48:10 explains this by saying: "See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction." Whatever survives the 'furnace' is good and Godly, but it's a life-long process.

Okay, so back to the change in my life. I hate it. But God has a purpose for it. God's plan is that through the things I hate (like change), I will be refined. I will become more like Christ, and my life will conform to God instead of to this world.

Josh Wilson writes and sings about those uncomfortable, even painful moments in life that have a purpose like this:

Do you wonder why you have to
feel the things that hurt you,
if there's a God who loves you,
where is He now?

Maybe, there are things you can't see
and all those things are happening
to bring a better ending
some day, some how, you'll see, you'll see

Chorus
Would you dare, would you dare, to believe,
that you still have a reason to sing,
'cause the pain you've been feeling,
can't compare to the joy that's coming

So hold on, you got to wait for the light
press on, just fight the good fight
because the pain you've been feeling,
it's just the dark before the morning

My friend, you know how this all ends
and you know where you're going,
you just don't know how you get there
so just say a prayer.
And hold on, cause there's good for those who love God,
life is not a snapshot, it might take a little time,
but you'll see the bigger picture

Temple Tuesday

Ever met someone who just brightens your day, who makes you feel good, who asks you about yourself and what matters to you, who reminds you of God's presence and encourages you? Not in that cheesy hypocritical way, but someone who reminds you of sunshine - who you just can't get enough of.

Why are they like that? What (or who) gives them the power to just keep going even when life gets them down?

Well, I think I'm answering my own question.

Last week I talked about enjoying God as a way to rejoice in him. But I also mentioned displaying God and his glory. Displaying God is best seen when we imitate Christ. The goal through displaying God is that others will see that something is up with us - we're just different. It will get people talking. A great way to do this is found in Philippians chapter 2.

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

(Philippians 2:4-11)

In the end, this all goes back to the same thing: losing ourselves for God. Becoming less so he becomes more in my life through my actions, words, and everyday choices.

Growth

Imagine, just four years ago. Where were you? What were you doing? What mattered most to you? What filled your free time? What made you busy? Who occupied your thoughts?

As I leave high school and step into college, I am amazed at the growth and change in my life. The realization, discovery, and acknowledgement of me. Alex. Who I am and what I am and my personality, my needs and wants, my strengths and weaknesses, my similarities and differences with those around me, how I feel and what I feel and what it is that exists outside of my feelings and space and time. Well, who, that is. It's God.

And, believe it or not: God never changes. It's so beautiful that God is the same. He's always there. He is trustworthy and dependable and consistent, because he never changes. The lovely thing, the almost romantic thing, is that when we grow, we change. Our perceptions and illusions and beliefs and claims and feelings and desires change. And through these changes, we begin to see different sides of God. God hasn't changed, but now we see a deeper picture of God.

I once read a story about marriage. The author wrote about how men enjoy something new and adventurous. That's why when you're dating, young women are cautioned to be mysterious - to let guys enjoy the chase. Then the author posed a question like this: In marriage, though, one man is "stuck" with one woman for his lifetime. How can men enjoy that? And the author answered: In marriage, instead of going surface deep with several women, the husband goes deeper into his wife, learns more about her, and gets to know what makes her tick.

Such is the same with God. We can grow deeper into God if we allow changes within our own lives - if we don't fight change from God, but welcome it as a chance to grow.

So... four years ago! Think about God, too. Where were you with God four years ago? Where are you now? And where do you want to be with God in four years?

Temple Tuesday

Philippians 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, Rejoice!" What does it mean to rejoice in the Lord?
John Piper tells us in his book, Don't Waste Your Life, that God created us for his glory. God created us to enjoy and to display him and his glory.
Enjoy, you ask? Yep, to enjoy him. I think, especially with regard to rejoicing in the Lord, that we forget the actual part about enjoying. Look, God made the world, God made the beautiful landscapes, the lovely things in life, the sun and moon and stars, the giggles of little children, the love between a husband and wife. Go see and feel something greater than you, something beautiful - and enjoy God. Rejoice in him, thank him, and praise him. Christianity is not about being sad and boring. Go rejoice!