Why are we as humans, so opposed to change? It is something that has been from the beginning of time and will always be with us, yet we cringe at the thought of it. It is said that the only thing that is sure in this life is death and taxes, however, I would state, that you could add change to that list, because it is inevitable. Life is constantly in flux. One could also say, which sounds a little better, that it is dynamic. The definition of dynamic by Webster is, “marked by usually continuous and productive activity or change or energetic, forceful. A force or factor that controls or influences a process of growth, change, interaction, or activity: a dynamic force or factor” The definition alone sounds so positive, but we are such creatures of habit and remain resistant to it, no matter what our knowledge of the situation is.
If you lived in the 18th and 19th centuries you could have had a front row seat to the Industrial Revolution, which brought rapid changes into the then known world, and the invention of things we take for granted today and cannot see ourselves being able to live without. In 1712, Thomas Newcomen invented the steam engine, though we do not see them around now, this led to James Watts of Scotland, improving upon the concept in 1769, which allowed trains, steamboats, and factories to receive power through the process of steam. In 1764, a British weaver and carpenter, James Hargreaves, invented a device that could spin more than one ball of yarn at a time, and called it Spinning Jenny. In 1794, the Cotton Gin was patented by Eli Whitney. This device allowed the cotton seeds to be separated from the fibers more easily. In 1844, the telegraph was invented by Samuel Morse and cables extended almost from the extreme east to the west of the United States by 1860. Elias Howes produced the sewing machine in 1846, in a time when clothes were made by hand entirely, which allowed factories for the making of clothes to be opened. The growth of cities came when in 1855, Henry Bessemer produced a process of making steel out of iron, which assisted in the construction of buildings more cheaply. In an entirely different vocation and arena, but equally as important or more so, in 1870, a chemist, Louis Pasteur, produced vaccines that could prevent many of the then known, common, diseases that were often fatal.
Though Antonio Meucci invented the concept for the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell was the first to patent it in 1876. This concept was a game changer in communications. In 1802, Humphry Davy invented the electric light, but in 1879, Thomas Elva Edison brought the electric light bulb that lit up a lamp, and stayed lit longer, allowing people to do things in their homes, like read, cook, and clean, after dark. In 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright having invented an engine earlier, used it to make the first engine powered airplane flight, with that flight lasting for twelve seconds. Though street vehicles date back to the 1600’s, being powered by steam originally, and making many evolutions over the years, in 1908 Henry Ford produced a car that could be built on an assembly line and was therefore brought to the public for a lesser cost, called the Model T Ford. In 1906, Reginald Fessenden began working on radio transmission which also went through many evolutions, and became more perfected in the 1920’s. After approximately one hundred years of research by multiple men, from the 1830’s to the 1930’s, the television was introduced to the world. By 1936, there were about two hundred television sets in use worldwide. Could we have survived back then?
Over these same periods of time, farm equipment was evolving and improving, thus making farmers lives easier and the production and transportation of food more efficient. In 1802, a farmer and cabinet maker named Thomas Moore produced the concept of the icebox, which allowed them to preserve food longer as well, but it was not until 1913 that the first refrigerators for home use were produced. The gas stove made its debut in the 1820’s, and the electric stove in the 1890’s, but each concept took time to get their feet off the ground. I doubt that there is any one reading this article who was alive during any of these timeframes, therefore, these are things we already know and have used all our lives with countless other inventions. Are we glad, sad, or mad about these changes? I for one, would say glad.
In the late 20th century and early 21st century we have seen the advent of things as well, such as the home computer, which filled an entire room back in the 1960’s and seventies and the same technology can now be seen in a greeting card, singing happy birthday to a loved one. Now, when we buy a computer, a phone or tablet, it is almost obsolete as we walk out the door, because of the rapid upward trajectory of technology. That is change that those who grew up without personal computers do not like, but to the present generation, it is normal, and they are constantly on the lookout for the next, best thing. It is all a matter of perspective and the ability to stay open minded to change and be flexible. The definition of flexible is, “capable of being flexed or pliable, like branches swaying in the breeze; or characterized by a ready capability to adapt to new, different, or changing requirements, adaptable, adjustable, alterable, changeable, elastic, fluid, malleable, modifiable, pliable, variable.” Everything in life changes; our children grow up and move on, we change jobs, we get older, our bodies and mindsets change, we move to unfamiliar places, fashions and styles evolve, ways of doing things and programs shift, our neighborhoods, communities, churches, and the world, changes. We must be willing to adapt and be flexible.
Knowing that change is inevitable, how then can anything in our lives be sustainable such as work, relationships, church attendance, bible reading, prayer, weight loss and health? It can be, because we know of one more thing to add to the list of ‘sure’ things in life, along with death, taxes, and change, and that is Jesus Christ. Hebrews 13:8 tells us, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Amid a plethora of admonishments regarding hospitality, marriage, communication, doctrine, and Christian living, in the book of Hebrews in chapter 13, in verse eight, this fact seems to just be embedded into the text as a ‘matter of fact statement’. A nugget that needs to be repeated and remembered throughout life’s trials, struggles, and humdrums. This huge fact that he is immutable, never changing, should be like a huge billboard in your life, as a constant reminder and beacon to look to and look back upon.
One example in the scripture of a man who was very resistant to change was Jonah. He received the call of God to go to Nineveh and preach to them, but he ran in the opposite direction thinking he could hide from God. I know, crazy right? When the ship he was on got caught in the storm, which God was causing purposefully, incidentally, the people asked Jonah to pray to his God to save them and though it doesn’t say whether he did or not, it seems he did not, because they then ‘cast lots’ to see who was the cause of this dangerous circumstance they found themselves in, and it fell on Jonah. This resulted in a serious conversation and his expulsion from the ship into the sea, where he was swallowed by the great fish God had prepared for him, where he remained for three days and three nights. When he could not stand it anymore, he prayed unto the Lord, albeit a whiney prayer, the Lord allowed him to be spewed up by the fish onto the dry land. Talk about changes he did not bargain for. Well guess what, God does not change and neither does his calling, and he was again given the same instructions by God to go to Nineveh and preach. Romans 11:29 tells us, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”
He ultimately went, but with it being a large city, perhaps he felt intimidated, however, he did begin to preach, in Jonah 3:4 it states, “And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” Now if that would have happened, Jonah could have felt exonerated, and might could have even said, “I told you so.” But the next six verses tell us what really happened, “So the people of Nineveh believed God, (imagine that) and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.” God does not change, but He did change His mind and showed mercy when they humbled themselves.
This is surely what a preacher would want to see, a whole city repents and is spared, but not Jonah. He threw a fit just like a spoiled brat. The scripture says, “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore, I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and will repent thee of the evil. Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.” God then had to teach him a few more lessons to show him that it will not serve you well to question God. Romans 9:18-21 tells us, “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardened. Thou wilt say then unto me, why doth he yet finds fault? For whom hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that replies against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?” Change will come, some we may like and some we may not, but God is ultimately in control and molds us as clay, as he sees fit.
He is the Potter, and we are the clay that He molds and fashions into the vessel he wants us to be. Isaiah 64:8 says, “But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou, our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” Born in 1942, in San Francisco and raised in Los Angeles, he began playing the music for the small congregation his dad pastored at the age of 11 years old. He penned many great songs in his years and won many awards and died at the age of 72 years old. One of those memorable songs were, ‘The Potter and the Broken Vessel’ and his name was Andrae’ Crouch. The lyrics go like this.
THE POTTER AND THE BROKEN VESSEL
The Potter, saw a vessel, that had been broken by the wind and the rain.
He sought it with so much compassion, to put it back together again.
Oh, I was that broken vessel, that no one thought was good,
I cried, “Lord, you are the Potter, and I am the clay,
make me over again today”.
Chorus:
Then God picked up the pieces of my broken heart, that day.
And He made me a new vessel, and He revived my soul again.
When we remain flexible and pliable in His hands, he gives us sustainability in our efforts of life, our peace and joy, and our walk with Him. The definition of sustainable is, “capable of being sustained as with sustainable techniques, or relating to a lifestyle involving the use of sustainable method as in a sustainable society, maintainable, supportable, tenable.”
In every field, there are those who think they are experts, gurus if you will. They offer classes, and social media is filled with those offering advice on every subject. They throw others who have come before them under the bus, trying to peddle their wares and proclaim their solution as a ‘one size fixes all’ remedy. One that we see so often, is regarding weight loss. Once you click on one persons’ video, there are tens and hundreds more that pop up and they all think they have the answer you are looking for, however, they are all selling something different. It is amazing really. I suppose that is capitalism at its finest, but a little annoying and amusing to me, all at the same time. Well just about the time you push the button, fall for their propaganda, you see another that might be better, but you have already shelled out the money, only to try it with no results. As soon as someone says this or that product causes cancer, you can change the channel and find someone who says it does not. We cannot live in fear, and we cannot fall for everyone’s line because change is inevitable. We cannot live our lives as a yoyo, or as if on a rollercoaster ride. With your weight loss or health program, set yourself attainable goals and endeavor to stick with them, knowing that it is doable, if all the moving parts of your life remain the same. For instance, you can walk for 30 minutes per day now, because you have the time to dedicate to it and you are able, however, if you get injured, you may not be able to walk, which will put a damper on your plan, however, you should not throw in the towel and begin eating fourteen candy bars a day because of this, it is not the end of the world, it is just change, hopefully and most likely, just temporary. Achieve sustainability in your mindset, toward your need of a healthy lifestyle and adapt accordingly. By always being aware that change will come, you can have peace of mind and you will not be taken off guard.
The same goes for our walk with the Lord, prayer, fasting, bible reading and church attendance. He is after all omnipresent, therefore, an injury or life circumstance change does not affect Him being in your life and being able to commune with Him, however, we are often as Jonah and try to run and hide from the Lord. Regarding prayer sustainability, it can be achieved by realizing it is not subject to men’s confinement. Jonah cried unto the Lord from the belly of the great fish. Jude 1:20 states, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.” 1 Timothy 2:8 says, “I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us, “Pray without ceasing.” Psalm 55:17 states, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” None of these are dependent upon where you are or what you have done, or the changes you are going through. You can adapt your prayer life to your present circumstances no matter your geographical location.
Your church attendance is an aid in your walk with God, but it is not what defines you and your walk with God. Paul when preaching to the men of Athens on Mars Hill, stated in Acts 17:24-28,“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.” We are the church, and we dwell in His presence daily, no matter where we are. Acts 5:42 tells us how they had church in the New Testament, “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” Philemon 1:2 says, “And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in thy house:” Hebrews 10:24-25 states, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Yes, we should assemble on a regular basis, for the edifying of ourselves and the ministering to others, but we are not to be laden down with guilt and shame if must miss church, for job, sickness, vacation, or circumstances that arise in our lives out of our control. This is called condemnation and is not of God. You can have sustainability and continue to be connected by communicating with your leaders and fellow saints. Let them know what is going on in your life, so they might pray for you, assist you, encourage you or just not have to worry about you, if they do not see you on a given occasion. Make yourself accountable, keeping in mind, God already knows your circumstances and your heart.
You might say, there is no way that my bible reading is sustainable in my life, I have tried everything. We have so many ways in the 21st century to keep up with our reading and study of the word of God. We have computers, cellphones, tablets or just the old-fashioned book form. We are really left without excuse; however, life is still happening all around us at the same time. Psalm 119:105 David says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Know what the word does for you, thereby making it more appealing and desirable. There is no right or wrong way of reading it and of what program to use to help us read it. We must have the mindset of David, when he said in Psalm 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Know why we read His word. Our motivation is not the quantity we can read in the shortest amount of time, or a competition with anyone else, but what can we glean from it, to help us in our walk with the Lord and that will assist us in our lives when change or crisis does come. Psalm 77:12 states, “I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.” 1 Timothy 4:13-16 tells us, “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” Know when His word is appropriate in our lives. His word should be a part of our everyday conversation, wherever we are. Psalm 1:1-2 states, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law he meditates day and night.” Know how to use the word of God. If we read enough of the word when we have the time available, we can meditate on what we have read, in the times that we are too overwhelmed with life to read. Do not let the devil bring you under condemnation and make you give up on your bible reading, just because you did not or could not keep up with a particular regimen that you set for yourself. Stop, regroup, and make a plan for that particular period of your life, which will be sustainable, remembering this can also be subject to change down the road, just as everything else is.
Life is constantly in flux; therefore, we must take initiative. We can achieve sustainability in everything in our lives, by taking control of our minds, hearts, and lives and not allow ourselves to be controlled. Surrender yourself unto the Potter’s hand, and he will mold you into the vessel he wants you to be for His Glory and Honor. This is how we achieve sustainability.