Change. It can be very threatening.

Sometimes we unconsciously choose to become ineffective, irrelevant, or even die rather than change. It happens with individuals, marriages, businesses, organizations, and unfortunately with some churches. Even the “church” people of Christ’s day who were looking for and expecting the promised Messiah didn’t accept him when he came because he didn’t come the way they expected him to come, nor did he do what they wanted or expected him to do (that is, overthrow the oppressing Roman rule). Consequently, they rejected Christ, the Messiah, and clung to their irrelevant religious traditions.

Traditions and rituals are effective as long as they are relevant. While truth never changes, times change as do the needs of people, so when our traditions are no longer relevant, we need to be open to change; that is, creative and productive change—not just change for change’s sake, or simply to be so-called “politically correct” which, more often than not, is an oxymoron if ever there was one.

The same principle applies to my personal and family life. If I want to see change, instead of doing more of the same—which many of us tend to do when what we are doing isn’t working—I need to make some creative and relevant changes.

As the saying goes, “Nothing changes if nothing changes, and if I keep doing what I’ve always done, I’ll keep getting what I’ve always got, and will keep feeling what I always felt.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, give me the insight to accept traditions that are relevant; the courage to change the ones that aren’t, and the wisdom to know the difference. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 1:11.