Our Changing World

Our Changing WorldWe live in a constant, changing world. (Pardon the oxymoron!) With our current technology, by the time a new science text book comes out, it’s outdated. New things are being discovered all the time. Countries have different names than they had years ago. Words have different meanings. Our Information Age is on an accelerated course of change, change, change! So much so, that you can kiss some of the stuff you memorized in school goodbye.

I remember when:

  • Istanbul was Constantinople.
  • Gay meant happy.
  • A mouse was a little rodent.
  • Television news was not considered entertainment.
  • A driver just drove the car.
  • AIDS used to help at the principal’s office.
  • Everyone believed there was a Holocaust.
  • Math was arithmetic.
  • Marriage meant the legal union of a man and woman.
  • Cape Kennedy was Cape Canaveral.
  • There were nine planets.

I must admit I’ve been a bit disillusioned since they decided Pluto was no longer a planet.

Change is not always a bad thing. In fact, our survival could be contingent on our ability to adapt to change. The book Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson is about dealing with change in the workplace and in life. His parable is about two little people the size of mice named “Hem” and “Haw” and two mice called “Sniff” and “Scurry.” Each day all four happily locate their daily dose of cheese, but when the cheese is moved, what will they do? Hem screams, “It’s not fair!” Haw stands frozen in shock. However, Sniff hunts for more cheese with Scurry following close behind. A cute story, but it has a powerful message. Whether, we like it or not, change will always be with us. If we don’t somewhat adapt our way of thinking, then we will not know what’s going on in the world. Sometimes we either adapt or get left behind or die.

Believe it or not, people in Biblical times faced this same challenge. When Jesus came, they had to choose whether or not to be tied to an Old Covenant way of thinking, filled with rituals, legalistic laws and regulations, or accept the message Jesus brought. Believe on me and be saved! The old way led to death, the new way to life. Would people embrace this new way of thinking? Many did; some did not. Change is hard.

Don’t worry about me! I can change. Just give me a little time. Let’s see…Pluto was a planet…but now it’s not a planet anymore…but it might be a dwarf planet…but Pluto is still Mickey Mouse’s dog. Let’s hope that never changes! But even if Disney Studios decides to rename him Uranus, I will adapt.

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