Can people really change?

This is the most ancient of questions. Aristotle wrestled with the concept and explained the human being’s ability to change both positively and negatively according to whether or not someone is exposed to virtue or vice. Aristotle suggested that human beings have several layers to who we are and how we choose to live our lives. We have two potential outcomes: simple and completed. This is very heady stuff but it helps me to know that the best of the best in the field of Philosophy understood the mastery required to connect with the depth of the human soul or psyche. I think I can capture what Aristotle discovered in the Ergon argument found in his Nicomachean Ethics *

We have a natural development process hardwired into us. There is a natural plan. If we live a life that is uninterrupted, there is a natural human development toward maturity. When circumstances of our life are relatively stable, human beings naturally become more responsible and develop the more contemplative or complex parts of our personality as we age. Wisdom is gleaned from life’s experiences when learning is applied and shared with others. There is a sense of balance and appreciation for the virtues. In other words, human beings are hardwired for mental, emotional and spiritual progress.

It’s the interruptions we have to watch out for.

I think Christ followers can arrive at a similar conclusion. The Land Between is fertile soil for growth. God's intention for all Creation is to grow and mature. It is my belief that God desired human beings to grow and mature. Scripture states that we could produce 'fruit that would last.’ (John 15:4) This desired outcome is produced within a relationship of trust. A trusting relationship with God is crucial to our ability to fulfill our calling or maybe it’s not that sublime. Maybe we are to simply become our very best self.

If we consider the scriptures from Exodus, the Israelites were to live differently than the other people groups. The others would be drawn to God through the People who character was marked by faithfulness, truth, generosity, dependability and honor. The Israelites were to reflect God and demonstrate to the world what the LORD was like. The Israelites lived among strong cultures of honor and respect. The Israelites were to be more than that--they were to reflect the essence and presence of God. So that God could be known among the nations. 

Why was the journey through the Land Between so significant? 

At the Exodus, the people were a loose confederaiton of tribes exposed to generations of Egyptian idol worship. As they travelled through the Land Between, the Israelites were in training to become God's representatives to the world. I think we can apply the wisdom gleaned from the biblical story to our own circumstance as we navigate through this season of the Coronavirus pandemic. We can consider this current situation as our time in the Land Between. In order to learn and apply the deep wisdom this time presents for us, we have the opportunity to ask the question: God--what do you desire for me during this challenging season? 

The answer does not come easily when we are engulfed in anger, grief or despondancy. If we trudge through this season--we will obsess about one thing--getting out! We will not reap the important fruit we desperately need and the fruit will not produce a longing for more of God or a desire to become a people who represent God in His best, trustworthy and loving self. 

The Land Between is fertile ground for transformational growth--we will not be what we were before and we are not yet what we can be as representatives for the Kingdom of God. Dramatic growth is often the result of surviving or thriving in the harsh conditions. Dramatic growth can be built by incremental growth--which is steady movement in the right direction. It comes as a result of consistent behaviors accompanied by a yielded and responsive heart. Incremental growth often happens during times when life is uninterrupted--life is cruising along and we exist in a time of tranquility.  

Tremendous or transformational growth often comes under tremendous or transformational pressure. Consistent spiritual growth is key to both incremental and transformational growth. There is a different kind of maturity that accompanies us through the Land Between. Life will never be the same--this is transformational growth. Remember that The Land Between is also where faith goes to die.The choice is ours to make. Honestly, there is a death that accompanies new life. We must let go to what we had, in order to accept what is offered to us now. Our future depends on it. There is a plan. We can progress. But, not without struggle, suffering and pain.

This is a time of confession--a realization of how we did during our time in the Land Between. We confess to God. We confess our patterns of complaint. We remember the emotions, detours, decisions and expectations. We recall the meltdowns and losses. We celebrate the gains.The conditions of the Land Between are harsh and neutrality is not an option. Transformational growth requires all of us. It is a place where we are at our worst and our best. The beautiful discovery for many is that God allows us to be our worst and loves us anyway. We emerge from a season of profound disappointment, chaos or pain with a faith worth having. What a story we have to tell--because it is our story of our experience and we are incredibly grateful for our time in The Land Between.

And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” Exodus 33:19

*web address: Click here https://dataspace.princeton.edu/jspui/handle/88435/dsp01qf85nb42f

Pastor Jen