Changing the Unchangeable

Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil. Jeremiah 13:23 (New International Version)

There are certain things in my life that I am able to change and I praise God for those experiences. My weight has been one such change. It was simply a matter of eating less and moving more. While the number on the scale and clothing sizes went down, I was encouraged. Yet, I find what hasn’t changed (for good) are poor eating habits that have remained. The ability to binge eat is still very much a part of my journey. As much as I want the desire for junk food to subside, it lies just below the surface on many days.

The ability to live life without being in contact with a former mentor has been a change I have seen. Yet, once again, just below the surface are issues I still wade through on a daily basis that remind me that internal, lasting changes have yet to be realized. Spiraling into dark moods and the accompanying behavior still find their way into my weeks. I resolve to do better, and at times succeed. But the failures out number the victories more often than not. The same is true of emotional dependency issues. While I can occasionally modify my behavior, the internal changes still elude me. They are the “skin of the Ethiopian” and the “spots of the leopard” in my life. Unchanging and unchangeable if left on my own.

If that were the end of the story, I would be in trouble. Hopelessness and helplessness would over whelm me and an attitude of futility would quickly set in. That is not the case, though. Rather than allow these areas to discourage me, I can use them to remind me of how truly dependent I must be on my Heavenly Father. Paul’s words of “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” are meant for me. The God of the impossible resides within me in the form of the Holy Spirit and He is the basis for the changes I desire. While I have steps of obedience to take, the actual change is by His hand not my determination. I have fallen flat on my face too many times to assume it is possible through my strength alone.

So where does real, lasting change come from? It is the collective effect of spending time in God’s Word, yielding to His Spirit, renewing my mind, walking in the truth, taking in the wisdom from others, being teachable, and trusting God to complete what He has started in me. While my flesh will always give me trouble in this life, the impact and effect it has on me does not have to continue to be as profound. Through Christ I can experience different actions and attitudes. If I compare who and what I am today to who and what I was a year ago, I can see the changes that have come. Progress is slow much of time but it continues. Christ in me….my hope for continued change.

Father, I so often see the failures while You celebrate the victories. Help me to see that through Christ change will come….slowly but surely! Amen.

Change My Heart, Oh, God
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUjUvoynGMM

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.