“J”–”Jesus Christ the same…”

by BetsyFaithPosted on One Comment

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” –Hebrews 13:8

An ancient Greek philosopher named Heraclitus is credited with saying, “The only constant in life is change,” and no one who has ever lived on earth and is of sound mind would disagree. Change can be a good thing; for example, we have the option to change how we approach anything in life, like focusing on blessings rather than problems. More often than not, however, changes (particularly major ones) in our lives are the impetus behind most of the stress we face. Because change is inevitable, it’s especially comforting to know that Jesus does not change.

When I was young, I listened to several tapes with stories and songs that helped shape my childlike faith. One song I remember with clarity included this line: “Change your thoughts, and you can change your world.” The capacity to change is an aspect of our God-given free will. We don’t have to live as victims or wallow in self-pity or blame others for our terrible situations; we can choose to live victoriously and face our problems and love from a place of strength in Christ.

Life isn’t kind to anyone, and we all have our crosses to bear. I’m preaching to the choir here; part of the reason I have continued to revisit that song in my head over the decades is to point myself back to the truth of the Bible when I feel helpless or hopeless or overwhelmed. I find wisdom and direction in verses like Romans 12:2:  “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Also, James 1:17: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” 

Our heavenly Father has always been the same; everything and everyone else changes. People often struggle with accepting this aspect of His character because we are so accustomed to this changeable world. The Lord may work in a variety of ways to bring about His will, but all of what He does and allows is ultimately for our good (Romans 8:28), and that does not change. 

Change Your World

by BetsyFaith, LifePosted on No Comments

As someone who has wrestled to master my thoughts all of my life, I constantly come back to the drawing board to find a better way to keep my focus on the glass being half full. In other words, I attempt to consciously choose optimism. This is a perpetual struggle for me; I’m always warring with some form of reverse psychology on myself. I shy away from hoping for the best to avoid some strange power of “jinxing” the outcome, which is ironic because I don’t believe that really happens. I would tell someone else that that isn’t a real possibility, so look on the bright side, but then I find myself not listening to my own advice. 

“Change your thoughts, and you will change your world.”

When I was a kid, my mother had several children’s tapes with songs about faith: Patch the Pirate, Psalty the Singing Songbook, etc. We listened to them all the time at home and in the car. One of the songs has surfaced in my mind multiple times over the years. I’m not sure if this was its actual title or not, but the main repeated line was, “Change your thoughts, and you will change your world.” As a youngster, I believed in my childlike mind that it was a simple mantra that everybody must be following. As I got older, I began to realize that the decision to change one’s thoughts became increasingly difficult as more complications and trials of life interfered. 

“Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil; but to the counsellors of peace is joy.”

Because I believe that I will one day answer for my decisions in this life, I take my free will very seriously. When I choose to let my thoughts plummet into the pit of pessimism, I struggle to change that trajectory and focus on being grateful, although I feel that this is the first step to changing that pattern. Some days, I find it extremely difficult to make that choice, and I know that this is something I will most likely wrestle with all my days. People often focus on changing the world by supporting major causes like eradicating hunger and anti-human-trafficking initiatives, which are great causes, of course. I can’t help but wonder if we as individuals were to change our personal “worlds” of thought…how much of an impact that would have. I have to pray for power over my own unruly mind much of the time, but I believe it will become easier to overhaul my thoughts over time. Proverbs 12:20 says, “Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil; but to the counsellors of peace is joy.” I am striving toward the peace and joy.