So why am I not losing any weight? I mean, I come to the gym 3 times a week and work out hard… I think.. but nothing seems to work.. But did we change some of our eating habits? (Been There In The Past)
Ooohhhhh……. That’s a different story……
Forward Friday continues the progress 2023 thought progressions that sometimes, we need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves if change, a redirect, a shift, a new course is something that we must look at in our lives for greater development. And of course, there’s always good medicine at the end!
Let’s Get Into This!!
That gym conversation happened during a workout and the person said to our trainer, “I’m not willing to give up some things because I want them!” Even if it meant that all that work meant little if the food going in wasn’t adjusted.
But before we dump on that person, could it be said of us that there are things we resist changing for a litany of reasons.
I’ve always done it this way…
I’m always right…
I don’t care… I’m sure it will turn out this time…
Sometimes, the behaviors, actions and things we’re doing do not yield the positive outcomes we tend to look for but because we have a set plan in our heads, we’ll keep going no matter what.
Working in the school network, how many students will persistently not change course in the name of I’ve got this figured out syndrome only to find out a little later that they might have been in error.
We see it in relationship breakdowns of all kinds; while some errors are the realities of blind ignorance, there are the willful ignorance moments, sometimes giving the feel of a narcissistic bent.
C.S Lewis said, “We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where we want to be. And if we have taken a wrong turn, then to go forward does not get us any nearer. If we are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man or woman who turns back soonest is the most progressive man/woman.”
So, then it stands to reason that if there comes a moment in regards to the path we’re on, be it future, profession, relationships, actions, thoughts, behaviors etc. and we are faced with the challenge of changing or shifting, we need to stop and consider our next steps.
What if we’ve been wrong or need to adjust? Wouldn’t it make sense for so many reasons to not blow off the moment and take a look at the direction our feet are pointing in?
Big Enough
It’s been said that the wisest man or woman is the one who can be big enough to admit their mistakes or the recognize that the road they’ve been on needs to change.
Smart Enough
But it’s more than that: the next step is to be smart enough to learn from those life teaching moments…
Strong Enough
But even more than that, strong enough to correct the mistakes and/or change the road we’ve been on…..
If we board the wrong train or realize that we’ve been on the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor of the train in the other direction.
But what if we find it hard to take the steps for change; it just seems like we may not be strong enough.............
There Is Some Good News Medicine:
The Bible has no qualms showing the good, not so good and everything in between stories to help us think through every facet of life we’ll walk through and there are 2 stories that speak to the issue of personal progress.
And it’s interesting how the stories have so many layers…
The Rich Young Ruler:
I talked with a man in a former place of employment some time ago about the realities of the life now and the one to come and he said: “I’ve never robbed anyone, I’ve never cheated anyone And I’ve never committed adultery. I think I’m a good person.”
God shares an account about another man—a rich young ruler—who thought his “good works” would gain him “The Ticket” into God’s kingdom.
A seemingly nice young man, rich, respectful… So he comes to Jesus and asks him ‘What do I need do to receive eternal life?’
I mean he considered himself a moral man because he had kept God’s commandments.”
The account shows us that the man ran up to Jesus and knelt before Him, and we see at least an outward display of humility from him.
So Jesus reminded the rich young ruler of the commandments—not to murder, not to commit adultery or theft, not to speak falsely or commit fraud, and to honor his parents.
He breathes a sigh of relief because he’s been pretty good at keeping those.. Then the road shift comes.
Sell what you have, give them to the poor and follow me and you’ll have treasure in heaven.
Some people have tended to think that this is a rub against possessions and wealth but really, the issue here is what we hold to be of the highest value in our life and the fork in the road moment is a challenge to and for change.
The sad thing is, the Bible says that this young man walked away sad and we never hear about him again.
Because he couldn’t see that the road he was on would never get him to his ultimate destination, he couldn’t see the change he was being offered was the better way.
Conversely, There Is The Story Of Zacchaeus.
Zacchaeus was a tax collector of the city Jericho and learned that Jesus was passing through the city. Since Zacchaeus was "short in stature," he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed up into a sycamore tree to have a better view.
Besides being short, the thing that defined Zacchaeus was his career as the chief tax collector in Jericho.
Tax collectors are not popular in any time period, but the dislike was even deeper in 1st century Jewish culture. Not only was Zacchaeus the internal revenue service of his time, but he was also a traitor to his nation.
It’s not hard to see that our natural tendency is to ‘look out’ for ourselves. It can be difficult at times for us to look beyond ourselves to the needs of others.
Yet, like us, Zacchaeus had that potential and eventually embraced it.
Most of us want to see things that are going on around us. We check social media regularly to see what we’ve missed. We slow down and investigate when we see a crowd.. or an accident on the road. Our nature is to wonder what people are looking at and talking about and to get involved ourselves.
This is the setting as Jesus walked through Jericho. People were flocking around Jesus, and Zacchaeus wanted a look at what was going on.
How shocking it must have been when Jesus spoke directly to Zacchaeus in the middle of this large crowd.
We can figuratively spend our days in trees trying to figure out life and/or the road we’re on and why it may not be working for us when there could be another way.
I can imagine people looking curiously at Zacchaeus as he was climbing that tree. After all, Jesus had come to save them from people like Zacchaeus, Hadn’t he?
Yet, Jesus spots Zacchaeus up in that tree, and, “when Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly”
Jesus shocks the crowd by addressing Zacchaeus and then saying that he must stay at his house.
Really? Jesus is going to stay with him?
It is as if Jesus had this in mind before he even got to Jericho. He does not plan to stay with the local nice guy, the mayor, or anyone else we might expect Jesus to stay with. He has a plan to stay with the guy that no one likes. In fact, he must stay there.
He knew he had a course direction change offer that was about to rock Zacchaeus' world....
There’s precedent for acting right and treating people right.
“Even tax collectors came to be baptized. ‘Teacher,’ they asked, ‘what should we do?’ ‘Don’t collect any more than you are required to,’ he told them”, scripture teaches.
Did You Know?
The name Zacchaeus means ‘pure’ or ‘innocent’. As a tax collector, Zacchaeus didn’t live up to his name. It was no secret that his wealth was gained on the backs of his neighbors and countrymen.
Yet, precedent says that these tax collectors could make things right by simply being honest in their business. Zacchaeus does this after encountering Jesus:
“Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”
After Jesus reached out to him, Zacchaeus changed his ways and went above and beyond to make things right. He finally overcame his past and lived up to his name.
Changing Course Takeaways
We can change….. but we must want to consider changing
What is it again……….
Big Enough To Admit Our Mistakes/Errors
Smart Enough To Learn
Strong Enough To Change
The good thing about good medicine is that we don’t have to change on our own; God is right beside us to help us if we ask, desire and then act on the course change.
This week, I’m looking at some of my course alterations; I decide how this will look but I don’t have to do it alone... and neither do you!!!
I’m willing…Progress 2023 is growth time… Will you join me?
Walking the road of progress!!
Dave
#ForwardFriday #Progress2023 #WhatIf #WhatIfGrowthMeansChangingCourse #BigEnoughToAdmitOurMistakes #SmartEnoughToLearn #StrongEnoughToChange #Blog #Speaker #GoodMedicine #CourseAdjustment
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