Rewritten

How do you deal with change?

Personally, I believe that “change is good, but it’s always easier if someone else does it first.” I know it is inevitable, but it isn’t something I crave.

Despite my lack of enthusiasm, however, I’ve learned that you can’t grow without it.

In business, change is constant: change, or get left behind. Thousands of books have been written about change management – how to deal with the constant evolution of business, family and life.

Change when applied to faith is no different. In fact, change is at the root of a Christ-follower’s story. Everything about your life changed once you accepted Christ. Most often, people think about their eternity: a new future sealed in salvation.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

2 Corinthians 5:17

In that moment of acceptance, your entire life story was rewritten.

However, belief doesn’t stop there. The Christian walk isn’t a one-time event, it’s a lifelong process.

As we grow in faith, we find hope and assurance that we are being transformed into the image of Christ. Evidence of this will be the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and so on. We’ll never be perfect, but we are certainly different than we were.

Your life is the canvas on which God’s purposes – specifically your transformation – can be known.

Speaking about this kind of dramatic change can be difficult and uncomfortable, especially in the work world. As I mentioned in my post Be Bold, we need to be fearless in telling our God story. By being open and transparent about the changes we have experienced in our lives, we can encourage and inspire others to seek the same kind of transformation. Your story has power.

Put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:22-23

You may feel that your faith and personal beliefs have no place at work, but the truth is our personal transformation should be evident in every aspect of our lives – not just at work, but in the way we work. We should stand out in both what we do and what we don’t do.

How has God reordered your priorities? Is it on display for others to see?

How has your trust in Jesus changed the quality of your life?

How is Christ doing something new in your life right now?

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Romans 12:2

As Christ-followers, we should lead by example and bring a unique perspective to change in the workplace: we should embrace it as a familiar friend.

The discomfort of change, especially in pain, is the place I’ve always heard God’s voice the clearest. It’s enabled me to be more open to the transformation He wants to bring into my life.

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

-CS Lewis

We don’t need to run headlong into pain, but it should paint the picture that God can and will use anything for His purposes: especially change.

With that mindset, we must be open to seeing the potential of change at work. We must accept that to grow, our attitudes about change matter. And our instinct shouldn’t be to groan as soon as the word change is mentioned.

When you accepted Christ, grace rewrote your story. As a rewritten work of God’s creation, keep telling the story of how you’ve gone from death to life.

Remember that the tides of change create a great opportunity to bring forth your personal story of the work being done in you.

Don’t wait for God to use someone else. Even in your imperfection, the world needs to hear your God story. The change in your life is a great place to start.

The Better Word:

1. Do you feel rewritten? When God transformed your heart, you became a new creation. Not everyone will understand, but don’t let that keep you from proclaiming the truth that you know. It might be awkward at first, but the power of God given to us is unfamiliar to those not on the same journey.
2. The transformation you’ve undergone should be a benefit to everyone around you, including your coworkers. If you aren’t bringing a new sense of relationship, trust and momentum to their lives, perhaps you’re not fully embracing your role as an ambassador.
3. Ask the Lord to help you when it comes to embracing the things that have changed in your life: your attitudes, thoughts and actions. It will be tempting to “fit in” and keep the changes hidden, but our assignment is to draw others into the joy, peace and freedom that we have. Don’t put your light under a basket (Matthew 5:15) because you fear rejection, invite others into the transformation you’ve been given.