Say ‘Yes’ and Change your Habits
As President I have witnessed some inspiring developments in our Church’s life, and also some sad situations, such as highlighted in the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care, and where God’s people seem unable to get along in harmony. On reflection, I realise that although God’s Spirit is within us to make us more like Jesus Christ, this does not happen automatically. Some saintly Christians make great progress towards that likeness; others have been life-long Christians, with little apparent change. How come? Why does God make a difference for one person or parish but not for the person or parish next to them?
The answer might be quite simple. Each person, each parish must choose to allow God to move within them; this is never forced upon us. Take Colossians 3:10: “You have taken off the old self with its habits and have put on the new self,” and Colossians 3:12: “You must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
In both verses we are not passively letting God change us but have a role to play. We are meant to ‘take off’ what is wrong within us; we are meant to ‘clothe ourselves’ with the better nature offered to us.
However, ‘taking off’ and ‘clothing ourselves’ sounds artificial, pretence, like an act we play.
I have acted on stage many times, and explain that when I take off my ordinary clothes and put on my character’s costume, this helps me to become that character. This is not pretence, but a kind of temporary change for the duration of the play. This is something we all do from time to time. We put on clothes according to our activities: old clothes for decorating and gardening, smart clothes for job interviews and weddings. When we don the gardening clothes we become a gardener; with that smart suit on we become ‘the father of the bride’ (or whatever).
In the Christian life we would like those external, temporary and somewhat artificial changes to be internal, permanent and genuine, not just for an occasion, nor for a mere effect. So, how can this happen?
God wants to make a difference, so the problem is not with God but either our ignorance in realising we have to say ‘yes’ to God, or because we quite like wearing sinful clothes. Ask yourself, for instance, when you feel ‘entitled’, is this what Jesus was like? If not, then we need to change our habit (which originally meant clothes, incidentally), seeking God’s support in acting differently until our normal (and therefore habitual) reaction becomes Christlike.
John Wesley said: “Preach faith till you have it; and then because you have it, you will preach faith.” By extension he might say to us, “Act as though you have no entitlement till you become humble; and then because you are humble, you will always act humbly.” It might sound over-simplistic but why not give it a try?