How many times do we fear change? I freak out when Lavender Breeze Tide isn’t on sale at CVS and I am forced to use Fresh Scent instead. No one likes Fresh Scent. Give me lavender or give me death!
Too far?
This scripture is long, but well worth it. Jesus and his diciples are making their rounds healing and teaching, and make a pit stop in Gerasenes, where Jesus makes some changes...
26-29 They sailed on to the country of the Gerasenes, directly opposite Galilee. As he stepped out onto land, a madman from town met him; he was a victim of demons. He hadn’t worn clothes for a long time, nor lived at home; he lived in the cemetery. When he saw Jesus he screamed, fell before him, and bellowed, “What business do you have messing with me? You’re Jesus, Son of the High God, but don’t give me a hard time!” (The man said this because Jesus had started to order the unclean spirit out of him.) Time after time the demon threw the man into convulsions. He had been placed under constant guard and tied with chains and shackles, but crazed and driven wild by the demon, he would shatter the bonds.
30-31 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“Mob. My name is Mob,” he said, because many demons afflicted him. And they begged Jesus desperately not to order them to the bottomless pit.
32-33 A large herd of pigs was browsing and rooting on a nearby hill. The demons begged Jesus to order them into the pigs. He gave the order. It was even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a cliff into the lake and drowned.
34-36 Those tending the pigs, scared to death, bolted and told their story in town and country. People went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had been sent, sitting there at Jesus’ feet, wearing decent clothes and making sense. It was a holy moment, and for a short time they were more reverent than curious. Then those who had seen it happen told how the demoniac had been saved.
37-39 Later, a great many people from the Gerasene countryside got together and asked Jesus to leave—too much change, too fast, and they were scared. So Jesus got back in the boat and set off. The man whom he had delivered from the demons asked to go with him, but he sent him back, saying, “Go home and tell everything God did in you.” So he went back and preached all over town everything Jesus had done in him.
My parents did a great job raising three kids. Really fabulous. Except when they called the family together for a “come to Jesus meeting.”
When my mother declared a “come to Jesus meeting,” it was a tribal commencement for the ages. Doctrines were written, laws were passed, and all my desires were vetoed. Serious changes were made due to my apparent lack of obedience in the past 48 hours. And I was always terrified.
One specific meeting ended in the confiscation of my cell phone, most likely due to the fact that I was, and still am, a bit of a smart-aleck when it comes to authority. This change was absurd and I resisted it like a sloppy kiss from a great aunt. But it forced me to reconsider my words before I spoke.
Following Jesus is the biggest change we can make in our lives. And it is scary. When following Jesus involves making serious changes, we become hesitant and resistant. Sometimes Jesus is going to ask us to make some pretty big changes and we are not going to like it. It’s going to seem like too much change too fast. But Jesus doesn’t see it that way. In fact, He knows just how much we can handle and is willing to allow change in us in order to become better sons and daughters after His heart. Allowing our lives to be changed through Jesus simply means allowing our faith to lead us when our minds can’t.
Allow Jesus to change you, mold you, and love you. By His hands, rather than your own, may you find healing and rest.