Change

When you really understand what sort of change I am being asked to undertake, you can appreciate the true magnitude of my calling…

The Father's Embrace (Unknown)

Nobody really seems to like change.  Some people might like aspects of change – the excitement of trying something new, the sense of adventure in exploring possibilities – but very few people are able to handle change in a meaningful manner…

I have been thinking about that today.  I am a creature of habit.  I spend so much of my time doing the same old thing that I have always done that change can seem – at times – to be very overwhelming.  I like the idea of change theoretically but I am not really fixated on change for the sake of change.  If I have the option to NOT make a change, I certainly will choose that option every single time.

And I have been reflecting on WHY I do not like change very much.

I have come to the conclusion that I was not created for change – not really.  When God made Adam and Eve His vision was that they would live on earth in close communion with Him and then at the end of their Earthly life they would transition seamlessly into Heaven to be with Him eternally.  They were not created to live and DIE, which means that I was not created for that purpose either.  And yet, I clearly will die.  And is not death the single biggest change that any of us could go through in our entire life…?

And I have been reflecting on this as I have been thinking about how hard it is for me to change my own system of dealing with others.  It seems that so often other people hurt my feelings and cause me terrible pain and grief.  Once – long ago – my father told me that I could not change anyone else, I could only change myself.  And I have been reflecting on that ever since.  You see, it is easy to judge my neighbour – so to speak.  After all, it is a lot less work to look across at them and consider all the things that THEY should change so that my life will be a bit better.  And yet, the reality is that God has called for ME to be a Saint and the only way through sanctification is change.  But not change of THEM – change of ME. 

I have been called to change to be a better person.  I have been called to change and be a stronger Catholic.  I have been called to be a more perfect witness to the TRUTH.  And to do this – to become perfect for God the ONLY THING that I can do is to change.  The only option for me is to push through all that hurt and offence and understand – deeply in my soul – that is someone else falls short and fails me, I need to have compassion for them (as Christ has for all sinners) and not judgement of them.

And when you really understand what sort of change I am being asked to undertake, you can appreciate the true magnitude of my calling…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.