Change is all around us

In the New Testament letter Titus, the namesake is charged to be a change agent in the church and the place he serves. The instructions he is given lend us a model of how to bring change in our lives and the places we live. Two of the several critical components of change are impact and culture.

First, recognize your impact. Titus was left in Crete to be a change agent for the gospel. He was to immerse himself in the environment and lead others toward establishing a healthy and thriving church. You have been placed where you are to influence those around you.

Change in your life begins with recognizing the impact you have on yourself. Your values, attitude and demeanor effect how you see yourself and pour out into your place and the people you are with.

Jeanene (not her real name) always wants to improve her life. She is an early adopter of trends and regularly finds the next thing to fix everything. She has tried new jobs, new churches and new friends, but she always seems to run into the same problem again and again. Issues that are always someone else's fault. Jeanene doesn't realize that if you regularly have the same problems but with different people, then "they" are not the issue. She is the barricade to the change she desires.

Change begins by recognizing your impact on yourself first and then places and people around you. All influence is an outpouring of self-leadership.

Second, realize that every place has a unique culture. In the letter, Paul references the culture and people of Crete. In doing so, he provides a lens through which to look, interpret and create a framework for action with the people and the place he lives.

If you desire to make a change in yourself and where you live, you must take environmental factors into account. While many common characteristics exist in places, every place has distinct nuances, such as food, clothing and customs. To be a change agent, ask yourself not only how something works. But how does it work here.

Every day you are changing. You can either intentionally or passively change. The ability to initiate and navigate change is the difference between determining the person you want to become or waking up one day and wondering who you have become.