Chef Sykes

   Change

    I had a bit of debate with a friend of mine over the nature of change.

    He said that change is gradual thing. That as people, we evolve as we get older. Our tastes, opinions and views differ at various stages of our lives.

    I countered with change being an instantaneous event. That we change our minds, our ideas, our opinions not over a period of time, but immediately upon the receipt of information that impacts our lives directly. It may appear that the change is gradual, but only because the information required for change comes to us slowly or in small increments.

    Now whether or not I am correct or he is correct is not the point. The point is, we can and do change.

    That which changes us can come in many forms. Foremost among them is Christ. Our Savior, Jesus Christ changes the lives of people in such a fundamental way, that words are barely adequate to describe the changes that occur.

    One of my dearest friends and a brother in Christ was an outlaw biker. When one looks for words to describe the events of his life, heinous and horrific come to mind. To put it mildly, he was not a pleasant person to have angry at you. To use his own words “there are brothers and others”. A brother is defended with your life and others are to be used, abused, or ignored. That is how his life was lived.

    Then something very profound happened to him. Christ placed people in his life that saw him as more than a killer. Over several years those people led him to realize that Christ saw him as more than an outlaw. That Christ saw him as a wayward child and wanted nothing more that to embrace him and forgive him. That nothing in his past could or would prevent him from taking a seat in heaven beside Christ.

    When he accepted Christ into his life, did he do a complete about face? Was it a gradual or instantaneous change that came over him? Having known him before and after he came to Christ, I can say yes to the first question. The second is a bit more difficult to answer as he is slow to accept the fact that we need to place our past firmly behind us as we move forward with Christ. Each day he asks for guidance and each day guidance is provided. But, if pressed, I would say that yes, the change was instantaneous, each and every one of them.

    Change affects us all. Whether it’s a change we embrace or attempt to reject change is part of life.

    Every day, each hour, each minute, every second we make a choice and every choice we make leads to some kind of change in our lives. The biggest choice you can make leads to the greatest change you can face. When you choose to allow Jesus into your heart, you change your life for the better.                      Chef Sykes.