We have often heard that change is inevitable but do you really believe this? I believe there are usually three classes of people when we talk about change:
a. The Anti-Change Brigade – Those who avoid change at all costs.
b. The Change Followers – These people couldn’t care less, they are the neutral parties and go with the flow. and
c. The Change Warriors – these are the people who drive the change wagon
Which one are you?
Your answer may depend on your experiences and perception of change. Though you may believe, and rightly so, that not all change is good. However, being a change agent is not a static state nor is it dependent on the type of change you’re faced with.
It is an intentional and proactive mode to make the most of every opportunity and life experience. A change agent is a problem solver, a truth seeker and a love giver.
I have often spoken about the need to support and interact with other women regardless of their marital status. About letting our oneness in God create the unity he expects from his children rather than tying our “togetherness” to other indices (mostly irrelevant) such as our race, tribe, marital status, financial status or other metrics we use to show our differences.
Being able to overlook the things that don’t matter is a powerful change and will have a lasting effect on society.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Being a change agent requires that we know and understand ourselves. That we know what we stand for and are clear about our mission.
What sort of woman are you? I want you to take a few minutes to think about this. It may mean considering your past actions and your present situation.
What do you stand for? I’m sorry to say that ‘he (she) who stands for nothing will fall for anything’.
Your mission to change the world
Do you have any principles you live by?
I recently wrote about the need to set life principles to live by. According to Gretchen Rubin, creating a list of personal commandments helped her not only understand herself but also chart a better course for her life.
As Christians, we are called to be the light. To be the salt of the earth. This is a powerful analogy. Light brings illumination, clarity and understanding while salt provides flavour, support and is dependable.
Imagine eating all your meals without salt, that would be pretty close to gastronomic torture or living without electricity or some sort of illumination.
These are things many of us have taken for granted but God hasn’t. It remains our great commission to be the salt and light of the world.
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden…let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16
This is our path as powerful change agents, it time for us to not only understand our mission but to live it.
How do we become powerful change agents?
There are three main steps to becoming the salt and the light of the world. These are the steps we need to change the world.
1. By seeking the truth
“When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.”
John 16:13(NLT)
“And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:32
2. By living the truth
“I have chosen the way of truth; your judgments I have laid before me.”
Psalm 119:30
“For God is spirit and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
John 4:24
3. By establishing the truth
This is good and pleases God our savior for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.”
1 Timothy 2:3-4(NLT)
This means we can’t just live as we please or without recourse to our actions.
“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.”
1 Corinthians 10:23
Rather, it requires intentional and purposeful living where we are willing and able to influence our circle and community, positively. This simply means that the change begins with us.
To be a powerful change agent, you have to start on the course which you wish to change. This is not about perfection, but about a willingness to go on the road you want others to follow. You must first be the light to illuminate others.
Seeking and living the truth means making the right and often times, difficult decisions to change for the better.
“Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?”
Galatians 4:16
It also means that we stand for what we believe in and not hide behind society’s call to mind one’s business in the face of adversity, discrimination and unfair treatment.
Some practical tips for change agents
May I share a little exercise with you? Thank you.
For the rest of this week, let us reflect on what change means to us and any three areas we want to change.
This could be in any area – your attitude, your values, productivity, other things around you that affect you and even your ability to speak up in the presence of what you believe to be wrong.
I would love to hear from you, please reach out to me at any point.
One of my areas of change is to speak up against domestic violence and sexual abuse and take decisive steps to help.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post.
Just remember that this is only the beginning, even if we don’t see the change we expect, this shouldn’t stop us from trying.
You’ve got this and God’s got you!
With lots of love,
Chioma
Living the truth is so important – what people see should be the God in us
This is so true, Andrea. Thanks for commenting.
Love this! I want to be a positive change seeker and not be resistant to healthy change! Thank you for this insightful post! ❤
Amen, may we not be resistant to healthy change.
I love your post! Backing your points with scripture is so encouraging! 🙂
Thank you, Lindsey. It is the word that brings wisdom and illumination.
It’s really interesting to note the conversation you are having about Change. Just the other day, I wrote down my own thoughts about Change. For me change is neither good, bad or ugly. It’s just Change and it brings everything in its wake (good, bad and ugly).. That’s my own perception about change.
I also love the salt and light illustrations. So grateful to God that He has dropped instructions on how to live to achieve our fullest potentials.
Great job you are doing with your blog.