We can all agree that change is a process. Something had to give that sparked that desire to attain a certain shift. Strategic steps are then laid out and followed to get you closer to that goal of transformation. The common belief about change is that it ends when you attain your goal. But actually, achieving that change is still part of a bigger process. It’s one thing to CHANGE and another thing altogether to SUSTAIN THAT CHANGE. Lasting change comes with a lifelong commitment to sustain the said change because the tendency is, people tend to get caught up with the whole idea of wanting to change that they shift their focus away from actually continuing to keep it in the long run. Which is why study shows that about 70% of all New Year’s resolutions are broken in the first week of January.
Nehemiah in Chapter 10:1-29 shows us important tips on how we can keep and sustain the changes we want to or have already achieved. To give context, Chapter 8 recounts how the entire nation of Israel turns their backs once again on The Lord, and the Chapter in focus (Chapter 10) shows the determination of Nehemiah to finally break the wheel that Israel was cycling in. This in turn shows us ways on how we can stick to our commitment:
1.) Be Part of a Group that shares the same Goal – A bundle of sticks cannot be easily broken, same goes for a group of people that share the same commitment. Just like how The Body of Christ are the people and not the physical venue, lasting change requires teamwork. You need people to sharpen you and call you out for any unconscious behaviors from old habits that let you stray away from your commitment. As we can observe in our text, the majority of it was spent on recounting the people involved in Israel’s commitment to change.
2.) Take Responsibility for Your Actions – Accountability is key for change to survive in the long-run. Just like how the people whom Nehemaih gathered, binded their commitment with a curse; this action was a form of taking responsibility for their actions. And in the Church, accountability is displayed through membership. In joining, you are making yourself accountable to the members of the Church that you will uphold your commitment to follow Christ.
3.) Keep First Things First – Never compromise the MAIN THINGS. This is the strategy that will lead to a whole-hearted commitment. Whenever you make a compromise on things that should be a priority, the significance of your commitment slowly and surely declines. Let us remember that small compromises lead to a big impact on how your priorities will decline. Be clear with the things that matter and commit to do it. The clearer the significance of things are to you, the easier it is to compromise them.
At the end of the day, the process of maintaining this change started when we accepted Christ in our life. So let the decision to have been changed by God as a non-negotiable and your commitment to The Lord won’t end up like one of your New Year’s resolutions.
