Friday, December 28, 2018

Devotionals for the Heart: Change


Change
A devotional by Gail Kittleson

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
– 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV)

Looking back over the decades of New Year’s holidays I’ve experienced gives me pause. December 31 and January 1 have always put me into a reflective mood that revolves around a word we often resist: change.

This word appears in the passage above as a strong verb. The New KJV translates change as transform. But the by remains the same, signaling the passive voice. Passive? How can we be passive facing a new year?

Normally on New Years, I spend time reflecting on the past 365 days, and do some journaling and list writing. What areas should I work on in the coming year?

In recent years, I devote more time to giving thanks for all the ways God has blessed and guided me during the year than wallowing in regret over my failures. That signifies progress, because all these years of trying to “walk the walk” have taught me that whatever true change occurs in me comes by grace rather than my own efforts.

We all know about the earth-shattering discovery of penicillin during World War II that saved countless soldiers’ lives.

In 1945, Sir Alexander Fleming, Ernst Boris Chain and Sir Howard Walter Florey won the Nobel Prize in physiology in medicine. Penicillin’s curative effect on various infectious diseases changed the world forever.

But here’s an interesting angle: Nearly seventy-five years later, doctors still say, “Take the whole course of antibiotics.” These instructions stem from Alexander Fleming’s belief, but modern research now challenges this idea, and many physicians believe that taking the entire course of antibiotics unwise.

With no medical expertise, I wouldn’t lobby for one action or the other, but it’s interesting to consider how difficult change can be, even in the scientific world. We can easily understand transformation being difficult in relationships, but since science is devoted to the study of alterations in nature and our society, we assume there would be less clinging to tradition.

As we face another new year, that word change looms before us. It’s only human to cling to the way we’ve always been and done things.

It’s easy to pray, “Change me, Lord,” but much more difficult to live through those changes, especially to allow God to choose what it is that needs to be transformed. This annual holiday reminds us to adopt the “Show Me” motto: “Show me what You want.”

My Prayer: Dear Lord of change and circumstance, grant me courage to embrace what You want for me in this new year of opportunity. Help me to remember that You love me and long for me to become more like Your Son.

~*~
Author Bio:
When Gail Kittleson's not steeped in World War II research, drafting scenes, or deep in an edit of her 1940’s novels, she does a limited amount of editing for other authors.

She also facilitates writing and creativity workshops, both in Iowa and Arizona, where she and her husband like to spend part of the winter in the amazing Ponderosa pine forest under the Mogollon Rim.

Favorites: spending time with grandchildren, walking, reading, meeting new people, and hearing from readers who fall in love with her characters.

1 comment:

  1. Change is HARD! 2018 was a year of many changes in my life and I'm learning to see them as an opportunity for growth. Just like so much of life it's more about perspective than it is circumstance. Thanks for sharing this wonderful devotion!

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