using a little “won’tpower”

“I am not going to get angry anymore. No, really I’m not. This time I really mean it! I AM NOT GOING TO GET ANGRY!!”

Whenever we want to change something about ourselves, the direct approach is usually the way we choose to go. We try “willpower.” It might as well be “won’tpower” because the direct method almost never works. We can’t convince ourselves to change. For awhile it may be possible. Then we come under stress and our changes change back. The harder we try the more frustrated we get. What is the problem?

The problem is commonly labeled, “Self-help.” We are told by every magazine article that we can do it. Go to Borders and check out the self-help section. If you can’t lose weight/ be friendlier/ be more confident in five easy steps then there must be something wrong with you. “After all,” the author seems to say, “If I did it and wrote a book about it, then you can, too. Not write the book, of course, but you can change.”

So, why don’t you?

To change from the inside out doesn’t last on our own power. We need something more. Recovery groups like AA know this to be true. They teach that you have to give yourself over to a higher power to be sober. You can’t fight unhealthy behavior directly. Alcoholics can stop drinking when they place their trust outside of themselves. This is a great start. If they want to do more than just get sober, they can live a transformed life when they give their lives to Jesus.

Jesus designed us and so, naturally, he holds the key to lasting change.