|
A Few Thoughts on Personal Change
by Angel Jr. Ancheta A few days ago, an elderly woman came in for consultation to an ophthalmologist. She had cataracts on both eyes, for which the doctor recommended surgery. However, the woman is very reluctant to have the procedure done. She gave several reasons for her hesitation, including fear of pain, extreme nervousness, and even tried to reason that she doesn't really need to see THAT clearly, so maybe new spectacles would suffice. Needless to say, the doctor tried to tell her the truth - that the procedure is reasonably safe, there would be no pain, and that glasses would only be a temporary measure, at best. Without surgery, she would also be risking complications. Despite all that, though, the woman just shook her head and eventually settled on a new pair of glasses, even if she could hardly see through them. Witnessing these events firsthand, I am reminded of what frequently happens when we try to entrust our problems to the Lord. Sure, we want the problem to go away, but when we realize that the Lord wants to remove a whole lot more, we hesitate to give Him control. Even when we're told that His way is the best way, and there are risks of backsliding with temporary measures, we only hesitate even more, not wanting to "see THAT clearly", or be THAT "good". Unfortunately, this attitude goes beyond a simple trust problem with the Lord. We act like this because of our inherent sin nature, which we got from Adam's sin. That, and the temporary relief or pleasure we get from the act itself (if sinning were immediately painful, there would be few people doing it!). What is the solution to this problem? Eventually, we would have to take a leap of faith.. There is no getting away from that if you want to be victorious. But just like the child who mixes the medicine with juice or food, we can take some baby steps and start trusting the Lord with small things first - with prayer and thanksgiving for all the blessing He provides. Then we just keep moving forward, despite the discomforts we feel as we change. Moving forward... that means letting go of something we're used to - something that might feel good. That, and being willing to try again and again when we fail. Angel Ancheta Jr. 34 year old male, married, no children Lives in the Philippines Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |