“Fear of change can be highly motivating- and ultimately limiting.”- Kyle Idleman
Kyle Idleman continues Chapter 6 of The End of Me as he discusses two reasons people lay down “roots in a place of quiet desperation and low expectations” rather than accept help.
1. Fear of change. The man at the Bethesda Pool had been crippled for almost four decades. His mat was his home, the pool his community. He was who he was. As Pastor Idleman notes, it’s amazing what people can learn to endure in the face of positive alternatives:
“We accept a lot of things we know could be better. . . . We decide God must want us to be here, because if he didn’t, he’d make something else happen. In other words, we blame God. . . . After a while we get used to things, and a limited life is less frightening than the thought of change. Resignation is better than disappointment.”
If we believe God is at fault for the situation we find ourselves in, why would we ask God for help?
2. Denial of reality. The man at the pool no longer had any concept of what a healthy life should be like. As Kyle notes, his environment was compressed to the boundary of Bethesda’s five colonnades. The man was around hurting people 24/7. His view of reality as skewed- unhealthy had become the new normal. The reality was he needed help. Jesus was this man’s only hope, just as He is ours.
Today’s question: How has fear of change limited you on your desert, transitional journey? Please share.
Coming Monday: the Christmas Short Meditation- “Arise, shine!”
Tomorrow’s blog: “A landscape of joy”
