It isn’t easy to change. Even when it hurts to stay the same, we cling to what we know and what feels familiar. This is especially true if whatever it is we are holding on to is also holding on to us. It could be something as simple as a bad habit. Or it could be something even harder to shake, like an addiction. It doesn’t matter whether you are a shopaholic, alcoholic, overeater, or overachiever. We have all asked this question-Is there is hope for those of us who want to let go of something that is holding us back?
My daughter’s dog, Casey Lou, a small spotted rat terrier, reminds me of a person. Really, sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between Casey and her human counterparts. Recently, she was the recipient of a present—a brand new doggie door. We bribed her to go in and out of it with hamburger bits until she could easily use her new entryway. With the new door she gained the freedom to chase squirrels, bark at birds and sniff bugs in the back yard as often as she wished. Not to mention freedom to go potty as she pleased. When she was tired of all the fun, she could come right back into the house and relax.
But something was holding Casey back. On any given day I would find her sitting outside the glass doors at the back of the house, scratching and whining, waiting for us to let her in. Why? Why not just use her new doggy door? Why sit in the cold and shake, waiting for someone else to give you something you could have anytime you wanted? Why, indeed. I think she just got distracted by what was right in front of her. Casey forgot that she could go right around the corner of the house, jump through her doggie door, and join us at any time. She was used to the old door. It was familiar, comfortable, easy. The only problem was that it often left her out in the cold.
Like Casey we get distracted by our habits. We get earth bound by what we see in front of us and distracted from the freedom we were designed for. We reach for new freedom until something happens to sidetrack us. Then we forget who we are and what we have. Often it happens without us even realizing we are sitting by the back door and ignoring our new entrance.
But there is hope. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” We have the option to change our view just by looking up. I’m not saying it is always easy, or even simple, I’m just saying we can choose to “fix our eyes” on the One who has paved the way for us.
A friend of mine, who was hopelessly lost in an addiction to alcohol, told me about the day things changed for her. She was despondent. Then, in the middle of all her waste and pain, she decided to go to an AA meeting. Her husband came along. The folks in the meeting took one look at them and started at the beginning. They told them about the first of their twelve steps and helped them to see both their need and the presence of a God who could help them. That was the first day in years my friend had any hope at all for her life. But she kept at it. A month ago she celebrated 15 years of sobriety.
So even if your tendency is to lose focus and wait by the back door, remember. There is a better way and most importantly, a God who will teach you how to use it. Just keep your eyes on Him. Even Casey is spending less time shaking by the back door and more time bouncing through the doggie door nowadays. If Casey can do it, surely we can too.