I have been accused in the past of having high expectations of people. That I think they are capable of more then they actually are. I’ve been told that I should just accept that some things won’t change. I doubt God endorses this philosophy as God is constantly pushing people to change, to be better and to trust him. This is seen time and again in the Bible and in our own lives if we’re honest. God wants good things for people, for all people and that rarely lets anyone off the hook when it comes to change.
I think this is why I get so frustrated with the church. Presbyterians in particular are notorious for halting any hint of change with debate and discussion. We table absolutely everything. We claim we are waiting on the Holy Spirit but I have a feeling the Holy Spirit is dancing about in the room and no one is willing to see it. We are afraid of doing anything for fear that it might be wrong or it won’t work.
This fear is killing us. It’s paralyzed us. We aren’t doing anything for fear of offending or losing people. We do this delicate dance around this issue of change and growth. We never want to talk about what needs to be done because we are afraid. In my reading this week I came across a passage in Deuteronomy where Moses reminds the people of God that God is always with them. That God in fact goes before them:
“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NRSV
We need to remember that God is going before us. Our trust should be in God, not our processes. We need to accept that movement is part of faith. Movement and change are built into our history. There is only one constant, God. That constant is the thing we should cling to. We need to push through the fear we feel. God has moved on and is expecting us to catch up. It’s time to let go of our attachments to what we know and move forward into the unknown believing that God will provide.
Do you think that’s possible?
Will we find the courage to follow God into a new {different} life?
