Change: Crafting Your Own Resurrection
As Christians around the world celebrate the resurrection of Christ on this Easter Sunday, I am reminded of our own resurrection.
Whether you believe in the Bible, the stories it contains, whether they are to be taken literally, or as analogies, whether you believe in Christ, or not at all, this is not the topic for today’s post.
Rather, since this Easter Celebration, this Easter story has been with us for 1000’s of years, perhaps we can learn something beneficial from its endurance.
That humans entertain even the possibility of life after death, not just in the biblical sense, but also in the medical stories of it as well, is quite telling me thinks.
Can they all be wrong?
Or are we just clinging to these stories in the hope that should death ever visit upon us personally, we could at least have an opportunity to come back? Feels good just to have the possibility, right?
More practically, if there is the possibility there can be new life – even after our ultimate demise – what then about the smaller troubles?
If the possibility exists we could come back even after death,
- Maybe we could come back after getting fired? I once did.
- Maybe we could find new life after divorce?
- Maybe there could be renewed health after illness? Did that.
- Maybe we could find life anew after the death of our beloved?
- Maybe bankruptcy doesn’t have to be the end of us?
- Maybe we could live again after a boy or girlfriend leaves us.
- Maybe when we lose our home, we could find a life renewed?
As the story of Christ goes, “He suffered, died, and was buried” “After 3 days he rose again.”
Each item in the list above brings personal suffering to us. Of course, there are far more calamities than listed here. Each deeply affecting the recipient.
In most cases, it’s easy for us feel, in the midst of it, that our life IS over. Because life AS WE KNOW IT is over. We can no longer live like we did before the trauma. Doors close. We are going to have to make serious changes in our life if we are to go on productively. Happily.
We get buried by problems throughout our life. It’s part of being human. One might argue problems are absolutely necessary for learning and growth.
Luckily, there is also a choice in the aftermath of our so called burial.
We can lay down and die. Or we can dig out, get up – and be reborn!
Make ourselves over. Do something different. Be someone different.
We’re not trees stuck, rooted in one place for all eternity.
We can move. Learn. Grow.
Each day rolls quietly into the next. If we’re not careful, if we’re not attentive, days can silently roll into weeks, into months. Until one day we wake up, a whole year later, and realize that nothing’s changed.
Another birthday. Another year older. Same old-same old.
Each day we had the power to change at least one thing, but we did not. “We shouda…”
Are you living with regret?
“Regret weighs tons. Discipline weighs ounces.”
– The late, great business leader Jim Rohn
The Importance of Time
That nothing is final, is one of the central themes of the Easter Celebration. Religiously, Christ suffered, died, was buried, and then rose again for OUR sins. So that we too might be resurrected into Heaven to spend eternity after our passing with God Almighty.
The resurrection, rebirth, would be miraculous in and of itself. So why specify “after 3 days”.
To me, and I’m certainly no bible scholar, it implies that our resurrection, our change, doesn’t have to take 10’s, 100’s, even thousands of years. It can happen in days.
While most folks required a calamity of one sort or another to force them to change, the possibility for voluntary change exists everyday. In every action we choose. Or don’t choose.
- Eat that pie. Or slim down
- Drink that beer. Or stay sober.
- Stay in bed all day. Or go to work.
- Take that new course. Or stay at the job you hate.
- Morn your loss another day. Or go out and meet new people.
- Sit home feeling isolated and unloved. Or go volunteer.
- Clean your room. Or live in a mess.
- Watch TV. Or learn to paint, draw, or play piano.
Each day we are presented with 100’s of opportunities for change. For rebirth. For resurrection into a new life – a life of OUR choosing!
We don’t have to wait until we die for that “Great Resurrection”.
We can choose to be reborn any day, every day of our life.
Our days are made up of habits. Scientific studies show we buzz through half of each day on autopilot. Each day the same. “That’s our routine,” we say.
Fine. If your “routine” is working for you and you’re happy. That’s great!
But if it’s not working, if we want more, need more, how can we justify doing the same stupid things over and over? How can we expect change, when nothing changes. When we change nothing?
Or make only slight and temporary changes?
Dr. Joe Dispenza wrote a great book on changing habits called, “Breaking the Habit of Being You”.
I’ll admit I wasn’t a big fan of Dr. Joe prior to reading this book. His YouTube spots never did anything for me. But after reading this book, I have a whole new appreciation for his work.
If you’ve struggled with changing your habits in the past, or if you’d like an easier path to change, I highly recommend you read this book. Or listen to it on Audible if you can.
One of the best things about being human is we can affect our own change. We can be who we are now, or we can choose to become someone different.
We can craft our own resurrection!
If you’re ready to start changing today, this minute, you can download a FREE copy of my Chart for Change. It’s a great tool to help you plan your progress and track your results.
“That which is measured improves. That which is measured and reported improves exponentially.”
-Karl Pearson
The writing down of goals and plans, then tracking their progress, is a universally practiced system for success. The free Chart for Change package contains exactly what you need to begin making real and productive changes in your life.
And did I mention it’s free!
Here’s the download link for the immediate PDF file so you can get started on crafting and making those changes you desire in your life today: https://robertreports.gumroad.com/l/chartforchange
You can let this life die, without you dying.
Change.
Crafting Your Own Resurrection – At Any Age
It may not be easy. But neither is living in pain.
“Bene Vivere”
And Happy Easter to all of my Christian friends!
Bob Elderbob Schwarztrauber
P.S. If you’d like, or need additional help to identify your highest desires and strengths, my Gratitude Journal and Activity Books, Volume 1 and Volume 2 sold inexpensively at Amazon.com, have helped lots of folks clarify their greatest strengths and identify what’s most important in their life. Their Unique Prompt Questions mean you won’t have to write much…unless you want to! And the cartoon characters sprinkled throughout are sure to make you smile.
