Everybody wants it, but few are able to sustain it. I’m referring to the process of change. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines change as the act, process or result of making something different or giving it a different position, course or direction. Many want to change their personal course as they go into a new year. Admitting the truth about where we are is an important first step; but if we want meaningful and long-term change, only solutions consistent with the truth of our condition will work.
Diagnosis Determines Treatment
Let’s first consider how to determine our condition. If you were a doctor, how would you treat a patient who complained of chronic headaches? Would you say, “I think we will need to decapitate”? Hopefully not. Would you simply stick a bandage on their head and tell them they had been cured? Not likely. The first “solution” solves one problem — it eliminates the headache — while creating another, irreversible problem. Change would occur, but it would be harmful to the patient. The second solution does nothing to address the root of the problem. As a result, nothing would change.
To properly assess the patient’s headache, you would ask leading questions about their condition, conduct an exam and run tests. After considering all of this information, as a good doctor you would then diagnose the problem and provide treatment. Beneficial and long-term change is more likely to occur because your solution addressed the root of their problem.
A 2-for-1 Special
If we desire personal change in the year ahead, we need an accurate diagnosis of the source of our ____________ (fill in the blank: physical, emotional, relational, professional or spiritual) condition so we will know what changes will produce lasting, positive outcomes. God’s Word does both. It not only tells us what we need to change, it changes us.
Regardless of the changes you hope to make in the year ahead, I encourage you to start with God’s Word. You will find many secular sources with self-improvement insights, but nothing can match the timeless wisdom of Scripture. It promises an accurate diagnosis and a treatment plan which will ensure real, lasting change in the new year.
Article by Cam Edwards
0 Comments