Letter From the Editor: Change

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Matthew 5:16 KJV – “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Dear Truth Seekers,

After devotion and a cup of expresso, I thought about how good the expresso was and I really needed that refreshing change in my morning routine.  It was hard not to drink Maxwell this morning but I ran out and decided to try my daughters favorite.  I started thinking about change and how hard it really is even the simple things. It can be a good thing and it could be a bad thing. Change is not weakness—it’s wisdom. We often hear people say, “That’s just how I am.” But what if that’s not how God wants you to remain? Even God, in His great mercy, has changed His mind when hearts changed, prayers went up, or people turned from wickedness.

Tired of Being Surrounded by Negativity?
You walk into a room and feel the weight—gossip, complaining, coldness, even spiritual dryness. At work, in family gatherings, or even at church, it can feel like you’re surrounded by people who are stuck in darkness. It’s tempting to blend in or stay quiet. You think, “What difference can I make alone?”  You don’t have to wait for others to change before you do. Its ok to change and to change your mind.  It’s also ok to make others know you have the right to change your mind. Let’s talk about it.

I’ll never forget the Sunday I taught a class of 12 and 13 -year-olds about obedience to their parents. The lesson was simple: children should honor and obey their parents. But what unfolded in that classroom was eye-opening—and a bit heartbreaking.

One girl raised her hand and shared how angry she was at her mom and dad because they promised her a trip to Six Flags. That week, her parents worked double shifts, were exhausted, and asked to reschedule for the following weekend. She was furious. She did not talk to them for days and would not do anything they said and talked about them on the phone with her friends.  No mercy. No understanding. Just disappointment—and resentment.

Then others chimed in. Some were upset because their parents did not give them money or buy them something so they burned dinner or didn’t clean their room or didn’t study for a test to fail it.  One child even rolled their eyes and said, “If they don’t do what they said, why should I?”

At one point, I silently thought, “Do we need a juvenile officer in here?” I truly didn’t know that kids this young thought this way.

A retired teacher in my neighborhood once said, “When kids turn 13, they become beasts.” She wasn’t entirely wrong. Change begins in adolescence—but whether that change is for good or for bitterness depends on what’s in the heart.

Even now, I see this attitude in young adults and children with special challenges. They often carry heavy expectations for their parents and hold them to every word forgetting one simple truth: Mom and Dad are humans, too. They get tired. They disappoint themselves. Just like we all do.

That day in class, I stayed grounded in God’s Word. I gently helped the kids realize that they too can disappoint their parents—sometimes with disobedience, failed grades, suspension from school, lies, or rebellion.  Do your parents stop feeding you or put you outside?  They love you because you are you. You belong to them. Just as we belong to Jesus and He first loved us.  He forgives.  The class ended in the lesson of forgiveness. 

Luke 23:34 KJV  “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”

Life brings disappointment, and the sooner we learn to manage our emotions, the better. Some adults never learned and now spend thousands of dollars in therapy trying to unlearn bitterness, uncontrolled anger, and how to let go of grudges- habits they picked up as children and did not learn to control and reject them.

There’s nothing wrong with going to God and saying, “Lord, change me.”  Repent your sins that brought you to want a change.  Then ask God in Jesus name to take away the grudge, the envy, the sharp tongue. Ask for the fruits of the Spirit:  22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23).

That’s how change happens: not from blaming others, but from growing in Christ. This is why reading scripture and memorizing it is so important.  God’s words have power to change the spirit.

I once watched a documentary on homelessness. A man in his 50s said he became homeless because his mother died—ten years earlier when he was 40. He truly believed that was the cause. But I could tell it wasn’t grief—He hadn’t changed. He wasn’t mentally ill.  He didn’t grow spiritually. 

I knew he did not grow spiritually because no one would take him in.  Meanwhile, many elderly homeless people had outlived their families, their pensions were small, and they had no one left to help them.  Growing up in a small town, I never saw homelessness because a family member or friend would take them in – even alcoholics.  Drug addicts were put in a travel trailor in the back yard and not allowed in the house. 

1 Corinthians 13:11 KJV  “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”

What shocked me most is how much homelessness in Metro Atlanta has changed. It used to be seen in certain areas. Now, it’s everywhere. This is not just a personal problem—it’s a community issue. And much of it traces back to unaddressed pain, unprocessed emotions, and the inability to adapt.

Psalm 32:8-9 (KJV) reminds us:
“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding…”

Don’t be stubborn. Don’t be ruled by emotions. Let God guide you through the changes of life. Because change doesn’t start with age—it starts with the heart.

Change is part of godly living. Growth is change. Transformation is proof that God is working in us.  Change your mind, and you might just change your life—and glorify God doing it.

 

May Our Living Hope In Jesus Christ Find You Faithful,

Editor, Daily Scripture Explained

 

 

Keywords:
how to be the change, Matthew 5:16 explained, let your light shine meaning, Christian example at work, being a light in dark places, influence through faith, Christian leadership without a title, spiritual atmosphere shift, being the only believer in a room, Jesus said be the light

Tags:
#BeTheShift #Matthew516 #LightInDarkness #LetYourLightShine #FaithInAction #SpiritualInfluence #LeadByExample #AtmosphereChanger #ChristianLeadership #LiveOutLoudForGod

 

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Romans 10:17 KJV  “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” 

A CALL TO SALVATION:

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Romans 10:9-10  ⁹That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.

  John 3:5-6  ⁵Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷