I’ve worked in youth camps since I was sixteen years old. When things are going well, it is easy to go with the mantra of “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” A lack of change can is hidden under the mask of tradition. While it is not necessary to recreate the wheel each year, it doesn’t mean you can’t make some improvements. When Angela and I bought our house, it was brand new. Even though it was brand new, we immediately installed a tile back splash in our kitchen and a ceiling fan in our living room. It didn’t mean we had a busted house. It just meant there were a few things we wanted to do to make it a little better.
It is so easy to get stuck in our ways and get in the rut of maintaining status quo. A few weeks ago, Angela and I were a part of a meeting that flipped the script on something we didn’t know could be flipped. It brought into question almost everything we had ever thought on the subject. It would have been easy to walk away from that meeting and write it off.
It would have been easy to not give it any thought because it went against everything we knew. Instead, we decided to pray a lot about it and God began to reveal to us how it wasn’t so crazy. He began to show us how there are things in our lives that need to be flipped.
Change is not often easy but sometimes it is necessary. Even when things are going great, sometimes God wants to flip the script on things in our lives. Sometimes God wants to challenge how you view, act, or deal with things. It may be how you worship Him. It may be how you read the Bible. It may be how you deal with sin. It may be how you love others. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
The word “world” comes from the Greek word aion, which translated literally means age. It is telling us to not just conform to status quo, but to renew our minds and test our thoughts. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to say God wants to change everything you are doing. I am just saying that is healthy to constantly examine those things and make sure we are in line with God’s will. Traditions are great, but doing things because that’s just the way it’s always been done can be dangerous.
until next time…