Steps Forward or Steps Back

There is something that’s been bothering me a little, lately. It’s something that I’ve seen in others, and something I’ve seen in myself, and it came to the forefront of my mind when I read a statement about attaining goals.

"Stop making excuses, and start taking steps."

The thing that has been bugging me is that we want things to change, but we don’t want to have to change. I could give you a dozen examples. We want to be thin, without changing our eating habits. We want to be in shape without having to exercise. We want great relationships, but heaven forbid we change the way we relate to people. Wealth shouldn’t require better management, increased generosity, or hard work. Surely we can have a great relationship with the Lord without having to forsake all to follow Him.

I don’t think I can over-emphasize that we cannot change ourselves, nor does our change earn us anything good. That being said, however, I also can’t over-emphasize that personal change is a prerequisite to changed circumstances. Your five-year-old will have to change a little before you let him drive your sports car. Your twelve-year-old will have to change a little before you walk her down the aisle in a wedding gown. Your teenager will have to change a little before anyone makes him the president of that multi-million-dollar corporation.

It’s just a fact of life. Change is necessary.

Mind you, Proverbs says we shouldn’t hang out with people who are "given to change," but I’ve been around a few of those, too, and they are totally different than what I’m talking about here. They are the folks who are constantly on the look-out for ways to not change. So today they’ve found the miracle weight-loss pill (that will mean they can loose weight without having to change) and then, next time you see them, they’ve found a different miracle weight-loss method. They are always changing, but they are never changed.

Change, however, rarely comes in an overnight package. Change comes in steps. Change isn’t "I’ll never eat cheesecake again," but rather, "No thank you, I do not want cheesecake" tonight.

But refusal to change comes in steps, too. Those steps are called excuses. Each excuse is a reason you won’t change. "I’ve got a slow metabolism" will not help you weigh less; it will prevent you from weighing less. And it’s not the slow metabolism that prevents you from losing weight; it’s using that slow metabolism as an excuse that prevents you.

We can change! The Bible is full of stories of people that God changed. In fact, changed people are the heroes of the stories we read. God changed people and changed their circumstances. You can step forward, or you can step backward. If you go backward, you’re just that much further from where you really want to be.

God said that every place Joshua’s foot landed would belong to him.

Make sure you’re stepping on land that you want.

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