Freedom to Change

All Rights Reserved. Immaculata Press/Fr. Kolbe Missionaries

The world is a beautiful place, and nature is always changing - it makes me wonder why we are so hesistant (at best) to embrace change. Even delightful change (marriage, babies) can cause a certain amount of doubt, nervousness, etc.  Heck, we miss out on so much, because at times we are imprisoned by one fatal misconception: change is going to make us miserable.

Nature has a different story - and since God used nature to tell stories, I suppose we can continue to learn from it.

Take a plant for example. If a plant is growing all jammed into a pot, its roots coming through the bottom and beginning to go deeper into the ground below, it is going to be obstinately against being moved. At the same time, it will be stunted in growth. It will flower but minimally.

Once those roots are free - mind you, not hacked away, trampled, or broken -the plant is free to go wherever its caregiver moves it.  Some of its little fragile roots will fall to the ground or be left in the soil. Some of the dirt will be shaken away.  But the plant remains, its deep and strong roots remain, and even some of the dirt clings to the roots.

It can be moved to another place, different soil, but the same sun, the same care giver, the same water. And because it has given into the change, it will flourish for its own good and be a source of joy and pride for the gardener. It will take time to be sure, a certain "dying" often takes place first, but the results are magnificent.

I'm impressed by how obstinate we can be to change. Fear, laziness, pride, anger, lust, envy, greed - all these deadly sins can act as those fragile and aggravating roots clinging to the way it has always been - convinced that we cannot, should not, or will not change.  We must dig up those non-essentials, shake off our dirt, surrender to our care-giver, and we will be free to change. We will be free for conversion.