We all have areas of our lives that we’d like to change. Maybe it’s the late night snacking or the amount of time we spend on social media. Perhaps the change we want to make is positive, like spending more time with God or building healthy relationships with people. Regardless of the change we’re wanting to make, it’s going to take more than discipline or good intentions. Read this excerpt from the You’ve Heard It Said season four Bible Plan, Finding Meaning in the Middle of Change, to discover how to change your life.
At the start of each year, millions of people set New Year’s resolutions. But by Valentine’s Day, most people have already given up on making changes. Why can’t we stick to it? Could part of the problem be that we’re trying to change on our own?
In order to experience transformative life change, we need to partner with God and with people. God initiates the change in our lives, but we’re going to need the support of biblical community to keep changing. Biblical community includes the people in your life who will encourage, support, and challenge you as God works in and through your life.
In Genesis, God creates day and night, water and land, the birds and the fish, and He calls it all good. Then He creates human beings in His image. And when God had finished His works, He rested, knowing that everything He’d made was very good.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good … Genesis 1:31 NIV
The very first thing that God says was not good was for man to be alone.
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone … Genesis 2:18 NIV
God created a variety of creatures, but none of them filled the companion role for Adam. So, God created a woman so that Adam would no longer be alone.
From the beginning of time, God designed us to be in community with one another. We see this theme of community throughout Scripture, including:
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. Ecclesiastes 4:9 NIV
When we partner with the people around us, we are able to represent Christ. We have the opportunity to meet the needs of our friends. We get to celebrate wins and mourn losses together. We step into a relationship to share God’s love with others and even to fulfill the law of Christ:
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 NIV
So, who are your people, and how can you help one another navigate change?
Prayer: God, thank You for designing us for community. I know I need people in my life to ride the rollercoaster of changes with, and I want to support others in their seasons of change, too. Open my eyes to the people You’ve placed in my life and help build our relationships. In Jesus’ name, amen.
