| Hey there! This is Josh Mains; Licensed Professional Counselor who works here in the Cincinnati area at Life Made Conscious. Well, here we are. We made it to another year. 2024. You may have set some New Year’s resolutions for yourself, or perhaps you’re like a lot of people who think people ought to pursue changes throughout the entire year and not just at the start of a new year. Either way, with this time of year, and with the typical talk of people making changes, I wanted to spend some time talking today about what it takes to truly change (or what I believe it takes to change, I should say). Maybe you’ve been struggling to change for sometime now. Maybe you’ve resigned yourself to some sort of defeated acceptance that this is just the way you are, and there’s no changing it. Well there is no shortage of books, podcasts, motivational speakers, pastors, or any other type of content out there that talk about ways to change. And I won’t pretend to have the one right answer to this question. But I will offer a thought to this question that I think is somewhat lacking in most other peoples’ answers. I should clarify that this thought is not my own, but it comes from the Bible. So let me share the thought, and then I will share some Bible verses that echo this idea. My thought is, in order to truly change, you need to BELIEVE that changing is possible… Maybe this seems like a silly idea, but let me share some words from Jesus that I think back up this idea. ”When He entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony! ” “I will come and heal him,” He told him. “Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be cured. Then Jesus told the centurion, “Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you.” And his servant was cured that very moment.“ // Matthew 8:5-8, 13 HCSB ”Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves. But He was sleeping. So the disciples came and woke Him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die! ” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, you of little faith? ” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was a great calm.“ // Matthew 8:24-26 HCSB ”So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own town. Just then some men brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.”“ // Matthew 9:1-2 HCSB ”Just then, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for 12 years approached from behind and touched the tassel on His robe, for she said to herself, ‘If I can just touch His robe, I’ll be made well!’ But Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Have courage, daughter,’ He said. ‘Your faith has made you well.’ And the woman was made well from that moment.“ // Matthew 9:20-22 HCSB ”As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, shouting, “Have mercy on us, Son of David! ” When He entered the house, the blind men approached Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this? ” “Yes, Lord,” they answered Him. Then He touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith!” And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus warned them sternly, “Be sure that no one finds out! ” But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout that whole area.“ // Matthew 9:27-31 HCSB ”But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Then Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can ’? Everything is possible to the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe! Help my unbelief.”“ // Mark 9:22-24 HCSB There are other examples I could have included, but for the sake of your time, I’ve limited it to just these examples. Here, Jesus of Nazareth is pointing out over and over again the significance of people’s faith, or, in other words, the degree to which people believe. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a counseling session with individuals where people paint a picture of the turmoil they’re in, and how nothing has worked or will work to help make their situation better. And so often, when I’m in those situations, I find myself wanting to ask, “If you believe nothing will work to make your situation better… then why are you here?” Obviously that response would be insensitive; really what people are experiencing is hopelessness, which is common. But I have a strong response to this mindset because I think so many people are trapped by it, and it’s heartbreaking to see. The reality is, the mindset of “nothing has worked or will work” is a death sentence. If those are the thoughts you have, or if that is the belief you hold, then it will come to pass. Nothing will work, and you will stay stuck in your situation for year and year to come. But Jesus is offering a rebuttal to this paradigm, and also the first step in seeing change take place. I believe (no pun intended), that the first step to truly changing is to BELIEVE that you can change. So what does this look like practically? Well here are some practical steps in learning how to believe:Change your internal monologue/self-talk. Start rehearsing thoughts in your head like, “I can change. I know I can. I have the capacity to change, and I can grow into the person that I want to be.” When you start to notice yourself feeling discouraged, or negative thoughts pop up, start to rehearse these thoughts of belief in your head. Bring God into this process. Changing is hard enough, but I believe (again, no pun intended), that changing is made even more possible when you’re asking God to help guide you and direct you. So pray and ask God to help you change. Philippians 1:9 says, “I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” God wants to see you grow more and more into the person He’s called you to be, so He will help you when you ask Him. Rehearse the truth over and over and over again. This is a repeat of step one, but changing won’t take root until you truly do believe. And oftentimes, in order to incorporate a new way of thinking, you need to rehearse it over and over again. So repeat the truth, “I believe I can change. I believe it’s possible.” And when you start to doubt, echo the words of the father in Mark 9:22-24 when he says, “I do believe! Help my unbelief.” In summary, the first step in truly changing, is to believe that you can change. And this isn’t some sort of “fake-it-till-you-make-it” mentality. This is the truth. This is reality. You have the capacity to change. You do. So believe it. That’ll do it for now. Make 2024 a year of hope and belief that change is possible. Till next time. |
What are your thoughts?