Comments on: Hope for Limping Christians. Changing your Character is both an Act of Will and an Act of Grace

By: Anita Mathias

Anita Mathias — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 22:27:38 +0000

In reply to LA. It sounds fascinating. Thanks so much for reading. I have been a bit haphazard, but hopefully God and Life will provide the energy and time to write more regularly. Blessings, LA!

By: LA

LA — Sun, 10 Apr 2016 14:37:09 +0000

This wonderful message of making good choices every day and in every way is how God shows us we can change ourselves. There is an interesting video on YouTube of a guy who had a trick played on him by his coworkers. He’d been an avid bike rider since 3 and his buddies re-engineered his bike so it was backwards (turn the handlebars left and the wheel goes right). He thought to himself “I’m a bright guy, I can figure out how to ride this”, but he couldn’t. The neural pathways in his brain were too engrained for him to just unlearn them instantly. He vowed he would figure out how to ride that bike and after a lot of practice, he finally got it.

Whenever he travels to present to folks, he takes the bike with him and everyone who tries it thinks they can just think their way to riding it. But nobody can. They have to practice it every day…just like the psychopath you mentioned. We may not realize we’re making poor choices, but once we do, it takes effort, prayer, and practice and what my friend calls “God grit” in order to change ourselves.

If you want to see the video, it’s on a channel called Smarter Every Day and it’s the bike one. If you search for the channel and “bike” you’ll find it. It has a lot to say about bias, racism, etc.

By: Anita Mathias

Anita Mathias — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 13:33:32 +0000

In reply to G.

I too pray for the Spirit to change the deep structure of my spirit, molecule by molecule.
“I have prayed so often for God to make me more loving, caring and unselfish.” Me too. Perhaps keep your eyes on Jesus, and ask his guidance and wisdom, situation by situation. I think we are often harder on ourselves than Jesus is on us. He understands that we can only change little by little, in the way that everything in nature does!

By: G

Mon, 14 Mar 2016 13:10:52 +0000

Thank you Anita, this gives me hope. Other members of my family are loving huggy kissy touchy feely people, and I just don’t get it. I am impatient, bossy and critical, wanting things my way. I have prayed so often for God to make me more loving, caring and unselfish, and I do feel as if I am changing, slightly, slowly. Having never had children, I don’t understand the bond between Mother and child, and often resent my mother’s clingyness, while my younger sister responds in a much kinder way. I thank God that He is changing me, for I certainly couldn’t do it on my own. I also know that He made me this way for His purpose and plan for my life, so maybe my less gentle tactics are sometimes needed to cut through the wooliness and get things done!?!