Choose Change

When I was eight, Mount St. Helens erupted in fiery fury.

Not long after, I read a book about the disaster. It told the story of Harry Randall Truman. This elderly man lived alone in a cabin at the foot of the mountain. The volcano began to rumble inside the earth—a precursor of death and destruction to come. People were ordered to evacuate their homes.

But this one older man refused to leave. People pleaded with him to move to a safer place. He said, “If the mountain goes, I’m going with it.” He had lived near this mountain in the U.S. state of Washington for over fifty years. It was his home.

The volcano erupted. Tons of mud uprooted trees and dislodged boulders surged down the mountain, destroying everything in its path—including Mister Truman.

We will never know why this man valued his familiar surroundings more than his life. His voice is silent. He cannot tell us what motivated him to choose death over change.

All we know is that the mountain was his home. He was comfortable there and attached to it.

Because Harry Randall Truman chose comfort, he lost. The relocation was not an option for him. Attachment to his way of life—no matter how temporary and fragile—was his priority. Preserving the familiar was more important to him than preserving his life.

Many of us view our lives the same way. Sure, we would evacuate our houses if physical danger threatened our lives, if a flood or volcano were inescapable.

But how often do we refuse to change a destructive behavior or deeply entrenched mindset? We tend to fight change, even if it will revolutionize our lives for the better. Why? Because we don’t want to leave our comfort zone.

An obsessive desire to achieve, a love of money, negativity, cynicism, unbalanced emotions, gossip, anxiety, fear, and worry; it’s easy to minimize the effect of spiritual enemies, but they can be deadly and self-defeating. They can steal our peace, destroy family relationships, thwart God’s purpose for our lives, and deflate our passion for the things of God. You do not have to live that way! It is not necessary, nor is it God’s will.

The New Testament presents a theme of change, of continual progression. The apostle Paul did not believe he had reached the peak of spiritual perfection. He still needed to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14, KJV).

Don’t be afraid to fight your way out of your comfort zone. Change can be difficult. Change is rarely comfortable. It requires that we break free of long-held beliefs.

But as we take steps in the right direction, we find that the prize at the end is worth the effort. The rewards far outnumber the sacrifices.

When you step out of your comfort zone—the very place that might destroy you if you stay—you will find liberty you’ve never known.

You will love your new life. It will be worth the change!

Prayer: Jesus, change is not always easy. But I want truth and freedom more than I want to remain in my comfort zone. Help me remember that You are my Comforter! I need You to help me change the mindsets and habits that keep me from enjoying an abundant life. I want to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. Thank you for empowering me through Your Holy Spirit to change and become more like You.