{"id":22513,"date":"2018-02-26T00:05:16","date_gmt":"2018-02-26T08:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=22513"},"modified":"2018-02-23T11:59:16","modified_gmt":"2018-02-23T19:59:16","slug":"february-26-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2018\/02\/26\/february-26-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"February 26, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cTherefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em>2 Corinthians 5:17<\/p>\n

Changes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>I went to cosmetology school in the 80s. As you can imagine, I went through many of the atrocious hairstyles that time period had to offer. I was especially into color, favoring just about every shade of red and purple out there. And did I mention the bigness? My coarse, curly hair wouldn\u2019t do the sleek, feathered look of the 70s. But, by George, it embraced the 80s hugeness without hesitation!<\/p>\n

Every time I changed my hair (which was often), my brother would always stop, stare, and say the inevitable: \u201cI liked it the old<\/em> way.\u201d It became predictably irritating, and I finally came up with a snappy comeback: \u201cYou didn\u2019t like the old<\/em> way when it was new, so get used to it!\u201d He graciously conceded.<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t that just like us? We hate change! We get so comfortable with old<\/em> things: worship songs, clothing, hairstyles, etc. We need to remember that at one point, these things were new<\/em> to us. Not embracing the new makes us very unbending, or worse, un-teachable. Is there a young person in your life that you find to be irritating, because they do things in a new<\/em> way? This is a good time to remember that you were once the young person with the new ideas. And what\u2019s new to you is their normal.<\/p>\n

Or maybe you\u2019re facing the opposite scenario: Are you around older people whose ways are so outdated that they\u2019re \u201cnew\u201d to you? Don\u2019t roll your eyes at them for being old-fashioned; take the time to learn how things were done! Remember, if it weren\u2019t for their old ways, you wouldn\u2019t have your new ways.<\/p>\n

We must not be so rigid about wanting things to stay the same. To do so means we are threatened by the new, which makes us defensive. Being inflexible makes you breakable. And even though change is hard, it\u2019s also good. So put on your stretchy pants, and let\u2019s start embracing the new!<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus, thank You for making us new creations. Thank You for stretching us,\u00a0<\/em>because it means we are growing. Please help us to never stop in our desire to learn, even when it\u2019s new and uncomfortable for us. Thank You for helping us to not be stagnant. In Jesus\u2019 name, Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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