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Thursday, May 7, 2015

Square Pizza vs. Triangle Pizza

Change. No one likes it. Humans are programmed to like routines and similarity. It starts young. You give a baby a new food, like peas for example, and they are startled by the new taste, texture, and color. Peas are so different than the sweet potatoes they tried last week!

My four year old is also thrown by change. Every kid loves pizza, right? Well, in our area, we have a few options for pizza. One restaurant cuts their pizza into squares while another cuts theirs into the traditional triangle. Don't even get me started on the different types of crust! For awhile, we always ordered the square pizza version. When we threw in the triangles, it was enough for a melt down!

As adults, we sometimes don't react any better than a baby or a toddler. I have seen grown men and women upset because they are faced with a new copy machine. It almost caused a rebellion of sorts. Aren't we supposed to be mature enough to handle change?

What about when God starts poking around in our hearts, prompting a change? How do we react?

We know it is going to happen if we are following Jesus. The Bible tells us in Philippians 1:6, "that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." Yep, the work, the change, is going to continue until our lives on earth are over.

So why do we dread it? Why do we resist it? This verse also tells us that the work, the change, is good. Any change that God wants to make in us is for our good.

I have been through a major change in my own heart within the past year or two. It really seemed that God was just picking on me! I was even like, "this is enough change, God!" But looking back, I can see the progress. I can see that the change was for my own betterment. I'm even glad I went through it!

I have found that it is all about my attitude and perspective. If I choose to embrace the change that God is beginning in my heart, I can see His hand at work. If I choose to resist, it seems to take longer. I am unhappier with what is going on. His way is always better than ours. I finally realized that the sooner I accept God's way as better, the quicker and easier the work on my heart is completed. Well, one particular change is complete, that is. God will keep working on me. And for this, I am thankful. I still need work.

I will leave you with a verse to ponder. I'll be honest. I used to dislike this verse. But again, I found freedom and peace when I embraced it! I challenge you to do the same. For just as a mother wants her kids to try new foods, so does the Lord want us to try a new perspective, a new attitude, and therefore, a stronger faith.
"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as my ways are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."

This post joins the following linkups: #livefreeThursday, #FellowshipFriday, and Faith Filled Friday

4 comments:

  1. Praise God that He will continue working on us! And sadly, change disrupts me, and causes a bad attitude. But I need to allow Him to do His work in me.

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  2. Resisting change... my pride likes to shout, I'm fine, I'm fine! but then God reaches in and reveals something I needed changing in order to keep moving forward, lol. Coincidence that Phil.1:6 was my verse today in my morning devos? I think not! Thanks for prompting me to dive deeper into His continued shaping and molding today, Kristen! Visited from #livefreeThursday!

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  3. If I choose to embrace His change, it is for our better. Yes and amen. <3

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  4. "Aren't we supposed to be mature enough to handle change?" <--Oh man! This is such a challenge for me! I happen to be closing out a week of changes; they're minor changes, but enough to make me grumpy. What a great perspective that the changes of life are just one of the ways the Lord is continuing in His work in us. Thanks for this! Visiting from Fellowship Friday. :)

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