Change before you have to

I remember an episode of The Simpsons that I thought was not only funny, but thought provoking.


Just before a long weekend, as everyone was leaving work, Homer stops at a vending machine for a snack.  Not wanting to pay, he reaches through the slot to snag a candy bar, but finds himself stuck.  After a while he realizes that he is close to a soda machine and decides to try to get a free drink.  He again reaches through the vending machine slot and gets suck.  Now he is stuck in two machines with no one to help him because his coworkers had already left.  Finally, three days later,  as people begin to return to work, they find Homer and call for the fire department.  They free Homer from this trap and as he is carried away, one of the firemen revealed that he could have freed himself at any time if he had only let go of the candy bar and soda.


Change can be a hard thing. We want to hold tight to the things that we have always known rather than face the unknown - even when what we have is bad for us or others.  


We are living through a time of extreme change and some of it can be difficult to face.  There are tough questions to answer and tough choices to be made by all of us.


Paul said that we must be changed.  He said, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2).


When our world is changing, it is time to ask the tough questions like “Have I been wrong about this?” Or “Have I hurt others because I was holding so tight to my own opinions that I missed their pain?”  


What do you need to change?  Let go of your pride and let God lead you to Love.  The world is waiting.
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