We are back on the west coast.  I haven't lived here since the summer after my second year of college in 2001. Since then I only made it out for a few brief vists. Many things have changed a considerable amount in the last 9 years -  different roads, built-up communities, run-down areas. As I contemplate change, one thing that has become especially evident to me is things are always changing. And as many have observed before me, dealing with change is tough.

A few days ago I was headed back to my parents' house with Chrissy (We are currently living there while we wait for our condo in Massachusetts to sell).  I came to an intersection, waited for the cars to turn left in front of me and then began to accelerate.  The only problem was that the light was still red. My whole car was almost into the intersection when my wife yelled to get my attention and I slammed on the brakes.  You see, not long ago, that light was a stop sign.  I was so used to waiting my turn, then proceeding through the intersection that I didn't even realize the light was red or that this intersection no longer had a stop sign.

A similar pattern happens to Christians spiritually during their lives. Sometimes we don't realize it, other times we don't want to acknowledge it. Life keeps changing, marriages keep changing, we keep changing, yet too often we go on living our lives the same way, proceeding the same way day after day and before we know it some stop signs in our lives have become stop lights. A problem that once was a tiny little stop sign has become a giant stop light, which holds us in the past longer than when it was just a little issue. Constant spiritual growth is very crucial in helping us move forward in our lives the right way. Sometimes we want to zoom pass and ignore the stop signs and red lights. When we do, we not only hurt ourselves, but we hurt others too.

Romans 12:11 says, "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."  How does this happen? How can we constantly keep our passion for God and the things of Him? It happens by daily looking around us, seeing what has changed in our lives, seeing where we need to grow, recognizing the stop signs or personal hang-ups and which issues have become even larger.

Mix it up, try new things, pray different ways, read new scriptures, attend a small group, study with a friend. We've got to make sure we don't go running red lights... that usually doesn't end well.