The Way DAY 3 - Honest Change

DAY 3 - Honest Change

Proverbs 11:3

Change starts with honesty. Change is impossible if you’re not honest about yourself. Luke implies what Gospel writers like Matthew make explicit: repentance means admitting you’re wrong. Matthew 3:6 says, “Confessing their sins, they were baptized by John in the Jordan River.”

I won’t change if I’m not honest about myself. How can I change my eating habits if I’m not honest about what I eat? How can I budget my money if I’m not honest about what I make and spend? How can I make new friends, join a book club, or volunteer if I’m not honest about how I’m using my time?

You can’t walk the Way of Jesus if you’re not honest with yourself about yourself. Repentance isn’t just something we do when we start following Jesus. Repentance IS the Way of Jesus. Following Jesus is a never-ending honesty about ourselves - the good and the bad - so we can always be growing.

Honesty for the sake of change doesn’t mean only finding the bad in yourself, but it does often mean admitting you’re wrong. Repentance makes room for God to work when we’re honest. One of the hardest areas of change for me has been admitting, “I’m wrong” - or even, “I could be wrong.” And you know, one of the exaggerated cartoons of religious people is that we don’t admit we’re wrong. People of faith are people of conviction, which often comes across as certainty. Which often comes across as, “I’m right and rarely wrong.” That’s not the Way of Jesus.

REFLECT
How hard is it for you to admit you’re wrong?

PRAY
Lord, help me to see myself with honesty - both the bad and the good. When I’m wrong, help me to own it, admit it, fix it, and move on. Amen.