Change Is Good

I have a pair of pants that button on the wrong side.

This drives me batty to no end. They are new pants to me, I ordered them from a catalog that I usually do, but the button is on the wrong side. Since I didn't realize this before I washed them and hung them up, I can't return the pants. So I have two choices. One, I can get rid of them. The button is on the wrong side and is really presenting a challenge to me all day long. Or Two, I can get used to it and adjust, they are cute pants, I do like them, and they certainly weren't free, so getting rid of them would be wasteful- but then there's that darn button! Every time I use the bathroom I have to stop and think and really concentrate to get that button fastened.

"The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person." 1 Samuel 10:6

Change can be a good thing, according to the Bible. It may not be as simple as changing mindset about a pair of pants, but a change in mindset can be necessary to accomplish God's work.

"And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—" 1 Corinthians 15:51

I'm afraid it's not much of a secret that Andy and I have been a little "disgruntled" lately. We've really been conflicted as to whether or not we were at the church we should be. And this really bothered us. But we've realized that the things that we may want to see changed can't be changed overnight. And maybe they aren't meant to be changed, but in the meantime, we can pray and ask God to change our minds, and he has. Quite effectively, I might add. We have decided that we are where we should be, and while we may not agree with a lot of things, we can keep those disagreements to ourselves. Our role is not to spread discourse, but to prepare for something great. We've actually gotten a little more involved instead of backing away. And it's amazing how change can affect other change.

This week Zander went to Sunday School class. For some people, that may not be significant, but Zander has never been interested in class. Up to now, I have been perfectly content with him sitting with me at church. In fact, I welcome it, because it does teach him how to behave in a public setting. He knows that when at church sitting that he is to be as silent as possible, and it's been a good lesson for him. This summer though, they are doing a special fun program for the kids where they are all together, and Zander could go with his older sister to class. This past week he was at church with me helping decorate the classrooms for the kids, and I think he caught onto that excitement. I think that simply changing my attitude towards church has caught onto my kids, and he was very excited to go to class this week. Apparently he had a blast and wants to go again next week. That is huge!

Allowing God to change our kinds towards church has had a profound impact on our children, and for that we are certainly grateful. It's also had an impact on other ministries, and hopefully it will make a difference. Hopefully by us allowing change, we can show others that change is a great thing when it's done according to God's Will.

So what about those pants? I still don't know...but in the end, they're just pants.