I spend a lot of time with the devil I know. A lot of us do. We are stuck in careers, relationships, routines, and ruts that we long to change, but don’t. There is a litany of reasons for this: fear, laziness, uncertainty, and lack of confidence. It boils down to the notion that the devil we know is better than the devil we don’t.
Maybe it’s because we believe things could always be worse that we are willing to settle with the status quo. Maybe it’s because change involves ripping off the duct tape that is holding us together while all our broken parts fall free. Maybe we are waiting for a miracle. Maybe today will be the day.
Maybe can be a terrible place to be. It’s the hell of purgatory without the hope of heaven. It’s wishing for different circumstances to determine your worth. It’s a waiting, a longing, and often, a loathing that has nothing to do with God.
God is truth. He doesn’t waiver and he doesn’t wane. He wants better for us than we want for ourselves. He would never ask us to settle. He made us to soar.
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
I know many people who are more stuck than soaring. I can relate as I have always been afraid to fly. But I am tired of the devil I know. I am bored with his same old lies. Baiting us with fear, he snares us into believing we can’t do better, be better, have better.
I am starting to believe that the devil I know, may be the worse kind of devil there is. By letting the fear of the unknown stop me from pursuing change, I am stagnant in defeat. Paralyzing inaction that intersects with who God created me to be leaves me at a critical crossroads. Yet I no longer view that unknown path as the scarier one. Maybe it won’t lead me to where I want to go. Maybe it will wind away from the comfort that has been my crutch for too long. Maybe it will be lonely, rocky, and wrought with challenges that are an inevitable part of change. But of all the maybes, perhaps the most important one to consider, it that just maybe, this new journey will be worth it.
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” (Isaiah 43:2).
Change can be scary, but being smothered under the ash of broken dreams, paralyzing fear, and the lie that you don’t deserve better, is what we should really be afraid of. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power,” (Ephesians 6:10).
Let the devil you know burn.
What is that you want to do that feels scary? What’s holding you back? What could you do if you actually believed that just maybe it would work out?
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This is so important!! I’ve only recently started to soar from the deep mug I had convinced myself was a good place to stay, and while it’s been extremely hard and painful, I’ve reached peaks of joy and fullness I never thought possible. Daring to listen to God is worth it!
I can relate, Paola. It’s scary to step outside of what we know even if it means something better awaits. But life is too short for stuck and remembering God has our back – how can we be anything but fearless!
Love this and it is so what I struggle with. I don’t like change. I like things to stay exactly as they are but life doesn’t work that way though. Sometimes you need some change in order to grow. Telling myself that God is there for me when I am feeling uncomfortable or scared does help me move forward. I’m really going to need him for the change in my life when my daughter leaves for a dance conservatory. I know that this change needs to happen for her sake.
For now, I’m encouraged to try something different this weekend in honor of your article. Thank you.
Alexa, change is always hard for me too. I never needed very much excitement but there is not liking change and being stuck because we are too afraid to do anything different. I don’t want to be stuck anymore and I know that’s not what God wants for any of us. What a love about your daughter is that she is GOING FOR IT in a big and beautiful way and she’s such an incredible inspiration to me. As always, our kids teach us so much and for sure, she was made to fly! (But so are we! It just won’t be as graceful!)
THIS. Is so very real. The part I’m trying to embrace these days is that God will point us down our path, and point out what needs to change, but we need to be listening to hear Him. So, I want to embrace the change and not get stuck – and I want to embrace what God intended for me – and I need to have a relationship with him to understand what He’s trying to tell me. Every day, I fail. But, every day, I am committed to try again. Thank you for putting into words what so many of us feel!
Such wise words, Jeannette. How can we know what God wants for us if we don’t have a relationship with him or if we aren’t taking time to nurture our relationship with him? I think life is a series of trying again. It’s when we quit trying that the devil wins.