The older I get, the less I confident I become. I thought it would be the other way around when I was younger.

In a recent conversation with a dear friend/mentor, we both agreed that when we were younger, our teachings  emphasized “What you need to do to follow God.” But now we are older, the emphasis is more on, “What God has done for you.”

When we were younger, we had a lot more confidence in man’s ability to change (the world & self). Therefore, most of what we preached was “Change this! Live this way! Follow this guide!” But as we get older, we realize that we are powerless, not only to change the world, but also to change the self! This comes from years of associating with the same people, their proclivities, and habits. But mostly, that conviction comes from the inability to change the self.

It is true what Jesus said about the four soils. He said there are 4 kinds of soils that represent the human heart. One is hardened and so the seed cannot grow. Another is rocky and the seed grows quickly but also dies quickly. The third soil’s thorny and chokes the plant to death later. Only the fourth soil is good and produces fruit.

I used to take this as a prescription to change men’s hearts. But I realize that this is a description (telling how it is)…

This, of course, does not mean that we don’t try. We do not stop fighting our battles. We do not stop correcting, rebuking, and encouraging our fellow brothers and sisters. But this means putting a lot less confidence on our power to change. But relying more on God and His infinite power and wisdom to change. Besides, this will lead to a lot less frustration and depression.

Don’t go ahead of God. We are almost always too fast for God.

PH