Change - is this the right time?

A long time ago I began to realize the very best thing to do was to change before someone told you that it was time you did! While change is not always easy, it may be the more respectable and desirable of courses to take! Those who actually "make it" in big business will tell you they have to remain ahead of the curve - they must keep up with the demands of their customers - always anticipating if change will be necessary in order to have a product or service that will remain in demand. There are just some things that must change in order to remain "ahead of the curve" in our lives, but there are also some things that must remain very consistent if we are to change in the right direction!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. 

(Proverbs 3:5-7 ESV)

The things that must not change:

1) The steadfastness of our trust - we must guard against placing this trust in anything or anyone other than the Lord himself. Any other foundations will crumble - causing us to be taken off-course very quickly. Trust implies a reliance upon - what we rely upon the most is revealed in our actions. If our actions betray a trust in something other than him, it is time to take the right action to move toward him as our Lord. As is declared in that "title", the Lord is one who is owner, possessor, master, and supreme authority. When Jesus gets his right place in our lives, we are assured to have a foundation that helps us live "ahead of the curve".

2) The commitment to place heart and mind in his care - both of these are pretty much "connected" when they are spoken about in scripture for the mind is greatly impacted by the "bent" of the heart (emotions). This being said, it is critical to our remaining consistently ahead of the curve to have both of these in alignment with the heart and mind of Christ. I find this easiest when I take time each day to just listen to what he has to say to me - in scripture, in prayer, and in just observing things around me. He speaks through others, in the gentle bending grass in the field, and the tumbling leaves in a gust of wind. The evidence of his good and caring heart is all around me - I just need to look. Once I see it, I lean into it and just enjoy that revelation of who he is. This builds trust and gives a sense of "settling peace" to otherwise chaotic and sometimes downright disturbing thoughts that could take me down paths I don't want to pursue.

The thing that must change:

1) The tendency to trust our own understanding of the issues - when we really submit to his lordship in our lives, we begin to realize we don't always see the bigger picture, nor do we understand how each step we take will impact the other steps we will have to take to realize our destination. Yet, we take those steps in faithful determination to remain on course - not because we "have to", but because we know our own understanding may be "flawed" by what we perceive, feel, or have trusted in before. We develop a better understanding of life's challenges with each one we face, but a lesson is best learned when we are open to understanding things from his perspective! Just sayin!