What does it take for me to change my mind?
by Charles Bertelsmeier
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‘No, father Abraham’, he [the rich man] said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead’ (Luke 16:30,31).
Read Luke 16:19–31
The parable Jesus told of the rich man and Lazarus is about a selfish, self-centred rich man who had no compassion for the poor beggar Lazarus, who used to sit outside the rich man’s gate begging for food. After they both die, the tables are turned, and Lazarus is carried to ‘Abraham’s side’, and the rich man ends up in Hades (hell). In the parable, the rich man can see Lazarus and Abraham in the distance and pleads for help from Abraham but is advised this is now impossible. In a slight glimmer of compassion for others, the rich man asks if Lazarus can be sent back to the rich man’s brothers to warn them of where they are headed. Abraham advises the rich man that his brothers already have all of the Old Testament (Moses and the Prophets). We then pick up the story with the two verses quoted above.
I’ve often wondered what it takes for someone to dramatically change their position on an issue. When we are children, we tend to parrot back our parent’s views, but as part of our growing up, through the various influences around us, we develop our own views, which tend to solidify in early adulthood. Some we take on almost subconsciously, while others we arrive at after much more thought, often involving lots of discussion with others. But we are pretty much set in our ideas by adulthood. We then tend to defend our views on issues and reject alternative views, sometimes very forcefully.
What about my views about God and his purpose for my life? I don’t believe God wants us to have blind faith in him because, if he did, it would be just as valid to have blind faith in any other religion. When Jesus was on Earth, he performed many miracles and other signs to prove he was God. He even came back from death (as suggested by the rich man in the parable). But many people still rejected him as God because they had blind faith in their own distorted version of Judaism, and there was no room for Jesus in it.
Looking back on my 70-plus years, I can see God at work changing my views and attitudes, especially about my relationship with him. Often, he had to send challenges into my life to get me to review my attitudes and beliefs and then send people to me with wonderful words of godly wisdom to help me work through the challenges with new attitudes and insights.
I sometimes think how much easier my life would have been if I didn’t have to learn the hard way. And then I remember that if God made us humans, he would have had the best understanding of how to work in our lives to bring about his desired changes.
Heavenly Father, I surrender all my ideas and attitudes to you and ask that you lead me to take positions that honour you and demonstrate your love for all people. Amen.
Charles is a retired engineer who has worked on communications projects for the air force, army and navy. He lives in the outer north-western suburbs of Sydney with his wife, Diane. Together they have four children and eight grandchildren with whom they love spending time. He keeps himself busy with pot plants, a community vegetable garden, researching his family history and volunteering in the community and at LifeWay Lutheran Church.
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