The Gap Between Knowing and Being: Why We Resist the Process of Change

The reporter asked why so many Christians know they need to change yet remain the same. This question opened my mind about change because I even asked myself if I really know that I need to change, but how come I remain the same. I want the result of change, but not the process of change.

In the topic of counterfeit hopes, people tend to look for something other than God to fix their problems or give them peace. These hopes may seem helpful at first, but in the end, they don’t truly satisfy or heal the heart. Based on Colossians 2:8, counterfeit hopes are false solutions. They take you captive with hollow and deceptive philosophy. They are false approaches to change.

Among the five examples, I will just discuss two. The first is to change my behavior. I would connect it to myself all along. I thought that changing my behavior would change me as an extroverted person. People misinterpret my personality, especially those who don’t know me well. Changing my action looks good on the outside, but it doesn’t always deal with what’s happening inside the heart, where the real issue begins.

The second one is Jesus as a therapist. Many people only see Jesus as their comforter, that if they will pray, they will get true comfort, but the truth is, Jesus is the Lord and Savior, and the One who truly changes our hearts, not just our feelings. The true hope is that we are reminded that we are full in Christ. If we start with Christ and continue with Christ, change is possible.

In conclusion, change is not on us; it’s on God. We want the change, but don’t want the process of change. I try to fix things on the outside, but I forget that real change starts in the heart. Counterfeit hopes may seem helpful, but they don’t last. If we start our life with Christ and continue with Him, He will transform us, and that’s why change is possible.