When Everything Changes (And When It Doesn't)

So here's the thing about change: we're either desperately trying to make it happen or desperately trying to avoid it. But what if the whole conversation is backwards?

This week's Bible lesson throws some serious curveballs. King Manasseh goes from being basically the worst ruler ever to... well, not that. Paul gets knocked off his horse (literally) and becomes the opposite of who he was. Jesus shows up and unclean spirits just... leave. No negotiation, no therapy sessions. Just authority.

What's going on here?

These aren't self-improvement stories. Nobody white-knuckled their way to transformation. Nobody followed a 12-step program or hired a life coach. Something else was at work—something the lesson calls Truth with a capital T.

Here's what I think that means: There's a reality underneath all our human drama that's already perfect, already whole, already free. Not perfect in some boring, sterile way, but perfect in the way a river is perfect—powerful, alive, always moving toward its natural end.

When Manasseh hit rock bottom in captivity, when Paul got blinded on the Damascus road, when people brought their demons to Jesus—what happened wasn't that they became different people. What happened was they stopped being fake people.

The "old man" Paul talks about putting off? That's not your personality or your history or your quirks. That's the costume you've been wearing that says you're small, stuck, limited, at the mercy of circumstances.

Truth doesn't change you. Truth reveals you.

And here's the kicker: this isn't a one-time event. The lesson starts with "I make all things new" and ends with "Truth demonstrated is eternal life." Present tense. Ongoing. Available right now.

So maybe the question isn't "How do I change?" Maybe it's "What if I'm already free and just haven't noticed yet?"

Worth finding out.