Altering Our Lives One Change at a Time
A couple of days ago, I talked about Alice Hoffman’s novel, Blue Diary. I mentioned two questions that begged to be asked. You may have noticed I only addressed one. It’s time I faced up to the other question I posed. I’ve been trying to avoid it because it seems much more difficult than the first. The question is, “Is it really possible for people to change dramatically?”
In the novel, it seems that the murder/rapist pulls it off. He goes from a selfish, violent young man to a loving, caring individual almost overnight. There are biblical stories of similar “conversions.” Paul saw a bright light and heard the voice of God. Immediately, he was transformed into a passionate Christian given to love and forgiveness rather than the harsh, murderous zealot he was before.
I heard a sermon recently where the preacher seemed to be saying if we didn’t have a radical change in our life, something must be wrong. I believe it is possible to have dramatic change in a short period of time—the alcoholic that somehow rejects drink overnight, the distant mother who goes through a near death experience and realizes how much she wants and needs her family, the sinner who discovers a personal relationship with Jesus and never looks back at the old life again. I have heard too many real-life stories to discount the possibility.
I have to ask myself the question, then, “Why aren’t changes in my life so dramatic and easy?” Is it because I lack some faith? Is it because I haven’t had some traumatic experience to awaken me to the evils of my way? I don’t know that I know the answer, though I tend to believe that quick, dramatic change seems to follow closely behind large or traumatic events in our lives.
For the most part, however, change is an ongoing, sometimes slow process. Rather than experiencing one huge turn of events, I have experienced multiple smaller transformations each connected to smaller, less traumatic events in my life. I may read a book that challenges a small portion of my worldview. As a result I change my understanding and a small transformation takes place. I hear a sermon that alters me slightly. I have an experience that makes new emotions erupt within me so I alter my values.
Change is inevitable (though many of us fight it). We continually confront ideas, emotions, and events that challenge our personhood. Some of these we allow to alter us. Others we reject as irrelevant to us. The issue is not whether or not change happens in our lives (quickly or slowly). The question for me is whether or not we are open to that change and are seeking transformation.
My goal in life is to be increasingly God-like. That means I must continually seek out understanding of God’s nature. Then, I must continually alter my thinking, feeling, and behavior to match that nature. Since my understanding of God comes in bits and pieces, so does any change in my life.
Is change possible in our lives? Absolutely. Is it possible for us to change dramatically into new people in a short period of time? Possibly, but not as likely. Is it possible for us to become different people over a long period of time? Most definitely. It takes, however, a deep desire and a commitment to ongoing change.
Read more about Hoffman’s Blue Diary in my review of the book.
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