(You need a “easy button” from Staples© for this object lesson, optionally you could have a harder puzzle in its box or even completed)
As much as we all wish it would be, change is never easy. It would be nice if you could press an “easy button” and change will happen. Once you decide to change so many forces begin to work against you.
Maybe you hear your children’s pastor talk about loving your brother and sister. You decide that you are going to treat your kid sister better. You raise your hand and say “yeah, I’m going to do that”. The pastor leads you in a prayer, you repeat it and you mean it. You are excited about doing it. You even tell your small group leader about it.
Mom and dad come to pick you up and you tell them how you are going to be nice to your baby sister. They say “that’s nice dear” in the way that parents do. You look over at your sister and she sticks her tongue out at you. You walk to the car together and she starts calling you names. You get in and she snatches your take home paper. She starts to rip it up. You grab it from her and she starts screaming.
You are the one who gets in trouble instead of her. Later that day she pulls your hair. You find out a little while later that she got into your homework and drew smiley faces all over it it. You snap and yell at her and call her names. Then a little voice inside your head says “see. I knew I couldn’t change!”
That’s just an example but how many of you have felt that way before? I know I have. As soon as I want to start eating better I find a coupon for ice cream. When I decide I want to write more I find a video game that distracts me. Change isn’t easy like this button. It requires some work on my part. The bigger and better the change requires bigger and better work on my part.
The good news is that we have God on our side. The Bible says in Luke 18:27 “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” God can do the impossible in our lives when we trust in Him. It won’t be easy, but if it was easy we wouldn’t need His help. Have you ever done a really hard puzzle that you needed help with? That’s how change is. You might need help but when its all put together you really have a cool thing to see. You will have a sense of accomplishment of a job well done.