Change Needed? Face It and Act Today!

When life gets out of control, the most common response is anger because of the loss of personal power. When Jacob marshaled all his courage, gathered his family and set out for his homeland, his father-in-law Laban was fit to be tied. Jacob feared his father-in-law would take possession of all he owned, including his wives and children. 

 

          Jacob could never stand up to his father-in-law, so resentment and anger had to be suppressed. We often resent a person's ability to take charge, to be in control and dominate a situation. So suppressing anger is one way to manage it, and we do so by pretending that it doesn't exist or that whatever caused it is of no importance. 

          Everyone is capable of anger, but who can express it in beneficial ways? We're often afraid of anger, even our own. We feel angry when something has gone awry, when changes need to be made but we’re fearful of making the needed changes. “Never let the sun go down on your anger” means facing needed change and acting on it.

Insight + Endurance + Action = Change - Part 2

Change is usually dependent upon available choices but may be complicated by lack of courage to move forward. Three components of change are insight, endurance, and action. Insight is the capacity to comprehend possibilities that previously were obscure and to realize choices are now available to move forward.

To achieve what’s possible may require enduring trials and testing, perhaps failure. God's word assures believers who endure that they will be rewarded for their investment. That investment could include training for a new job, parenting children through the difficulties of adolescence, or enduring a bad marriage while hoping for a renewal of love, passion and friendship.

Insight, along with endurance, builds character and stamina that are ready for action and effective change. Jesus instructed his followers to go make disciples of all people, teaching them and baptizing them so they could be his people. Action under-girded by faith and trust honors God and makes effective change possible.