Welcome to Tuesday. We are now officially into the week. There is no turning back now. My hope is you will make it a wonderful day no matter what the news channels decide to tell us. We return to the topic of change for today. Let's begin by saying that changes are much easier than real change. You and I can do small things in life that are valuable changes to be sure. But the idea of changes usually refers to those things that do not cost a great deal. Here is a wild example. The person who suffers with an addictive personality may make changes without experiencing change. They may change the choice of the substance that rules their world but not be rid of the addiction. The alcoholic may crave more nicotine in the absence of drinking. The drug addict might turn to the alcohol to stem the tide of withdrawal. An even more radical example is if that person kicks every external habit they may still live with issues like control or manipulation. Real change is difficult.

One of the reasons for that is the emotional price to be paid for real change. Your habit or struggle may not be near on the above level. It may appear on the outside to not be destructive to you or others. Regardless, you will find that making real change happen in your life will cause all manner of emotional upheaval. The core reason of this is we are literally changing who we were and becoming someone else. You have to change your values for change to occur. You have to also change habits when it happens. You may even pay a price in your relationships in order for there to be a substantive change in your life. None of this comes without paying a real emotional price.

Here is another totally silly example. Today, I shaved. Now that isn't terribly uncommon. But today the beard disappeared leaving only the partial growth around the mouth. The really dumb part of it is the emotion that ran through me while taking off all that white hair. Nearly seventeen years ago my first beard appeared. It was during my recovery from an eye operation. Back then, the hair came in pretty red/brown. Last fall when I stopped shaving it came in very white. I like my facial growth. Without it, I would look very odd if not very young. Right now, there is a feeling of loss after returning to my summer look. Don't ask me why it happens. I just know that it does.

Now if the simple act of shaving can do that to me then imagine the emotion of change on a more significant level. Why do we resist so much the positive actions of life that could improve us? Sometimes we may even begin to move toward change until we run right into the buzz saw of emotion. Ever wonder why a church can be so resistant to taking steps that would improve its ministry? It comes back to the issue of emotion. People hold on tight to the familiar in a chaotic world. We crave an anchor that stills us as the waves of the world in flux pass around us. Human beings need that. The only drawback is when what we do becomes a substitute for God being that anchor.

And there is the key to real change. Our hopes and dreams for becoming new begin with God. This is why the 12 step program for alcoholics begins with God. I know it isn't the same idea as the Christian understanding of God. But even those whose change in life is destructive realize the need for power beyond self. We in the church talk about the power of the Holy Spirit to bring eternal change. We tell about the need of a New Birth in order to change our eternal destiny. Is it truly possible for the presence of God to be at work in a life without their being an emotional response?

Repentance carries with it not only a theological meaning but also an emotional aspect. There is more to it than tears of regret. Real repentance ends in the joy of being new. When the pain of staying stuck in our rut outweighs our fear of being different then we become new. This is about far more than shaving. This is about God being a participant taking action for us to be new creations. Do not be surprised if you feel awkward emotion as you grow. Be concerned if you feel none at all. That just may be a sign you dug your rut too deep. Face those emotions anchored to an eternal God. His presence will always win out as long as you let Him in.

Bro. Trey