Day 3629 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

Ephesians 4:24 NIV

Where is there better to be found within what's already been?

I posed that question yesterday within what are my smaller/shorter posts as posted upon such places as Instagram and Twitter. Can we still call it that? Anyway, I asked it because I fear we’re living in this fear of moving forward simply for the sake of both the effort required in all such movement but also because of the many changes or alterations or novel understandings and undertakings that are bound to come around should we move on from what we’ve already seen, previously known or always been. And it’s within this combined fear of both effort and challenge that I worry we’re losing the very gravity of the fact that this life is a gift.

Meant to be lived, and thus moved. For no example of life is forever still.

Indeed, as you may have noticed, and judging by the post engagement, you haven't, but on the off-chance you have, you'll have realized we've been talking a lot about change over the past several days. And simply put, I am resoundingly convinced that there is not any other subject that is so roundly despised as that suggestion of different as made within what are every hope, every dream, every ideal that anyone has ever had.

Because nobody hopes or dreams or longs for things that they already have, have already known, have by now seen so much of lying around that it’s all so lifeless that, so long as our lives are spent so motionlessly attached to the same, so too shall our lives ebb into lifelessness.

And simply put, this isn’t at all anywhere close to anything that God in Christ asks of us. In fact there is so little within Scripture spoken in regard to a lack of motion or movement or motive that I struggle to think of any passages outside of the likes of Exodus 14:14 or Psalm 46:10. The verse of Exodus states that quite well-known call when faced with adversity to trust that “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Alas, this doesn’t really speak our lack of movement on a permanent basis as within the passage that verse is spoken unto a people on their way into the land God had promised them as their inheritance.

So not at all a lack of movement or stagnancy to be seen within that context.

Psalm 46:10 is another quite popularly quoted in that God reminds us to all “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” And yet here again, the point isn’t aimed at a lack of motion or motivation but rather at the reminder that all that’s done among the nations and within the earth is going to come about to the glorification of our God. So again, not really anything in even the remotest vicinity of asking us to live so motionless as we’ve come to insist we should.

In fact, just off the top of my head, I can think of far more verses and passages asking us to not fear, as spoken obviously in light of something that we would or do or are presently at least potentially liable to fall into our tendency to be afraid of. Yes, each time that His Word asks us to not fear, it’s a request given in light of something that we are facing, with the clear understanding that thus this fearful something is in our way of walking further unto the Way that is won within His will.

And so the vast majority of Scripture, and a fact proven in so many varying ways within all the different stories and lessons and wisdom offered us from within, it’s all seemingly a call to movement. It’s a call to walk by faith, to step out of the boat or into the sea or up to the line to face a giant that we should have nobody blaming us or mocking us or looking down on us for being afraid of. And there are so many of these calls to move or walk or fight or try or turn because God knows that we are, above all things, a people lazy and so in love with comfort and safety that we will deny anything that asks us to face any risk.

No matter what the reason may be nor the promise undeniably promised to be proven just beyond the battle.

Which brings me to the question for today’s post: If we do believe, as we as believers claim we do, if we do believe that as Heaven is higher than here so too are God’s ways higher than ours, and thus He better than us, then why are we so clearly afraid of better?

Yes, you again read that right as I always do my best to make these many confused ramblings rumbling and tumbling through my thoughts and theories seem to make as much sense as my grasp of the English language might allow. And it’s within all my ponderings as perused in regard to the many problems and preferences and purchases and pursuits and other peculiarities, both personal and public, that I’ve happened upon a pretty pitiable if not perfectly profound paradox.

And this rather oxymoronic outlook is one I feel, as often the case, to be best summed within a question asked. And again the question for today is this: Why are we afraid of better?

Now granted, odds are that we likely don’t see it this way as we’ve come to see nearly all of everything through what is such a slim and singular focus that it’s quite amazing we can find our way back home at night. Indeed, we’ve become so focused upon our wants and wishes that it’s almost a cause for applause that we do manage to do the creatives such as cooking our own meals or picking out our own clothes, having our own thoughts and even undertaking our own errands. Though many of those are even anymore becoming something of a negotiable spin upon reality, but that’s neither here nor there.

No, we’ll talk about the tragedy of self-driving cars and having what’s basically a taxi deliver our tacos in another post. Maybe.

But the point for today is one that I feel needs to be considered far more often than we clearly do. Because indeed, so much of Scripture, and thus the faith it’s meant to, at least in part, try and help us capture is again aimed at our becoming better. After all, how could it not? As we’ve been discussing for a couple, that any of us can make any sense of this deception that this fallen humanity has designed in which we’re told that we can stay as we are, as the sinners we’ve always been, that we can make any reason or excuse or expectation of that being reasonable, well that just shows you how far gone we really are.

Because, as we discussed yesterday, that our pasts, and in truth even our present, are and is so remarkably imperfect despite our pride both pretending otherwise and too expecting otherwise, it’s just about the very best evidence of why we should not only contemplate this call to capitulate our incessant seeking of comfort and complacency, but we should ache for every such opportunity that we could ever possibly be given within what are still these days that are gifts being given for more than we’re settling for finding within them

After all, do we think God’s greatest hope for us as His creation is to wallow and writhe inside such things as guilt and regret? Is something such as shame truly the most severe estimation of success that we can surmise? Should we be so very adamant to embrace what keeps us feeling so stagnant, and that in what is all these emotions the likes of fear or worry or doubt or dread? Yes, is that the kind of life that the Way, the Truth, the Life laid down His life for us to live?

Or does not such a gift both deserve and demand that we see inside of that empty grave a perfect place to stave our starvation for such things as hope and joy and peace and meaning?

Indeed, I think that is part of why He left that tomb so barren. It was both to show us that death hasn’t anymore any of its prior sting, yes, but also to carve out a perfect place to leave buried all that’s left us barely alive. To set aside every hesitancy or trepidation or doubt or lack of inspiration as all found and felt within all fear and the many foolish frivolities that it finds us finding reasons to accept as all but normal in life. Should such things as fear and its continual inspiration of only an unwillingness to try in terms of growth and trust, should they be as common as they’ve become?

Or are they not rather quite incredible evidence of both why and what we need to change?

And again, granted, we likely don’t quite know how to see the connection between Scripture’s ongoing call to shed the old so as to make way for the new, as is clearly a measure of betterment, and how change could ever accomplish it. For again, we are anymore so terrified of transition, of trial, of testing, of turning away from the death we’ve lived toward the Life we haven’t that we loathe the mere mention of any such alteration in terms of decision or direction.

No, we don’t want to change, and I fear that is why we’ve become so afraid of better. Because rather than better we call it change. As opposed to growth we refer to it as having to go or let go. It’s not a matter made monstrous in the measure of what we know, no, it’s more the beast of such a burden as having to learn which thus means leaving behind those many facts and figures that've thus far, and too formerly, been all but formally found as but the very foundation of our very being.

Meaning then that we have to admit what we know isn’t able to help us know, nor thus ever become, what more we don’t.

And this is where the growth as given us in all change comes anymore to be seen only as if some enemy against our egocentricity. Indeed, why do we live as if where we already stand is some hill of honor when such a stance shouts only then that every hope a horror? And considering how we again probably do not see it quite that way, then tell me, how else can we describe what it is that defines how we see change? For we sure seem to be living at a lack of hope these days. Can say the same of happiness too. And is this not because such things as happiness and hope are matters meant to be pursued rather than merely presumed?

Indeed, I do believe that this why we often feel so little joy in life anymore. It’s because we’ve come to insist that it comes unto us without any hint of the every change that it comes either behind, or more often, simply disguised as. Yes, such as this request to, after the leaving behind the old talked about day before yesterday and the then following embracing the understanding of why as found often only after as discussed yesterday, put on the new as remade to retake the image and expectation of He in whose image we were made to be far more than angry or afraid or lazy or lost or looking to such things as only comfort or safety to make our lives feel less empty.

But friends, that’s the point! It’s proven in that question I asked at the start of today’s post.

Where is there better to be found within what’s already been?

Because let’s be honest, so much of what has already been is but a terror, a trial, this grand tragedy to our already always temporary tranquility. The past has proven more times than not a gross lack of this idealistic expectation that is still trying to be defined by our own meager understanding of what is perfection. Indeed, we all seem to still seek something better, thus proving that better isn’t found in what’s already been, nor then what is even now. No, better is rather always a matter to be proven later behind or beyond such changes as movement or motivation to find what’s better than we’ve already been.

But again, why then do we hate change so desperately when all change is is merely a moving ahead toward what and where better has always been? That is all that all change is, you do realize that right? That change is literally just a moving ahead to everything better? See friends, every single change is at first a realization that where we are or how things are where we are aren’t perhaps as good as it could potentially be were things to be even somewhat slightly different. And when we allow our eyes to see this and our minds to this see, well then we find this alien interest into the existence of this idea of betterment.

But here’s where our belief begins to break.

Because again, it’s called change and that’s simply something that we’ve come to hate. Simply because we’ve perhaps become a little too comfortable, a little too safe, a little too seemingly successful in regard to such things as pleasure and the avoidance of pain. All meaning that maybe we don’t really mind what we are nor where we are as bad as maybe we should. After all, if we’ve carved a life for ourselves, of ourselves, in which we do feel a fair deal of pleasure and enjoyment and success and satisfaction, well then yeah, why change anything?

Why risk losing what already ain’t all that bad?

Well, because, as we discussed yesterday, if all we ever are is all we already were, then we are to never be anything other than sinners in need of salvation. Because that is what and who we have been. Good thing we didn’t stay, isn’t it?

But that’s part of the point of this verse for today. It’s that we’re not at all called to stay anything because we can always, and I mean always, grow in God. We can always study more of His Word. We can always want more of His will. We can always ask Him to help us learn better ways to better walk His Way. We can always grow in faith, in holiness, in righteousness, in humility, in honesty, in modesty and morality. Because we’ve been so very worldly that we, like they still, have ourselves reached a great many rock bottoms in terms of fear or hatred or doubt or denial.

And we know this because of such things as guilt and regret.

Yes, those feelings are proof that something in us or in our lives is not right, not aligned, not of the mind that we’ve been asked to embrace which sets its thoughts upon things above, where God is and thus better as well, rather than leaving them lost to the thoughts of a world living as if neither He, nor thus anything better, is either there or worth the effort.

But that’s why I asked you to contemplate those couple of main questions for today. It’s because, rather than hating it or fearing it, we need to welcome His helping us come to see change for what it’s truly always been. Because friends, change is merely better in progress.

It’s our assessing of present situations in search of something we could be doing better that would thus, in turn and in time, make us better. Something that would make our lives better. Something that would help us honor Him better, praise Him more. Something that would help us grow our faith, our trust, our hope in Him. Something that we could lose or leave behind that’s kept us apart from Him, distracted from Him, devoted to things that are not Him. Yes, change is merely a mindset that’s set upon improvement rather than fearing any and all movement.

And so, when seen from this angle, one considered without the anger we commonly agree to in regard to all change asking us to work and wander in everything from humility to wonder, does it not seem kind of silly, if not that indeed quite sadly, to be so afraid of what is merely a movement in a better direction toward a better outcome achieved only by our living a better life as a better person who is only that better enough to live better because of the changes we make leaving every good enough or close enough behind for something more?

My friends, truth is that all change is nothing but a movement toward better. Such as that asked of us all here at what is left at the end of all prior leaving behind of all that’s been prior and the taking on new thoughts as bought within a faith in something more than we’ve been before. All ending in His asking that we put on the new self that He sent the Son to both buy and bring as bought in blood and brought in the hope that we’d see in that sacrifice all the reason we could ever need to move on from what caused it to cost so much.

And so perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to always agree to hating change so much as so much of this stagnated society has chosen to, in what is a continued choice to not become anything better but only remain everything lesser. For in Him, there is no such thing as to, in or of this world, remain. No, He didn’t give His life for us to want nothing more of or for our own. Because there is, in Him, always more to find.

Just on us to stop looking for ways to find the fear that says His better isn’t worth the risk welcomed in the loss of everything that was never meant to be even good enough as anything other than Him is simply nothing of life at all.

So I reckon you could even say that change is life, and too thus life meant to change. Doesn’t make much sense that He’d either ask us to nor send us chances to if those chances to change didn’t lead us closer to the life He created us to live and died for us to find again.

#LeaveNoSoulUntold