Personal change can be kick-started by any number of things: a traumatic experience, a long-awaited opportunity, or several other things. Sometimes, life change is brought about by a single crystallizing moment in which someone realizes that life is not meant to be the way they have been living it. I know what those moments are like, and from my own experience, that moment is the realization that life isn't about my accomplishments, my glory, and my "needs". Now, the moment that I truly realized this was a couple of years ago, but I find myself having that same realization over and over again, not because I forget that its true with my mind, but because I continuously fail to acknowledge this fact with my lifestyle. No matter how much I try to avoid it, as humans we all feel an inherent need for people, and the desire that is felt by EVERY person on the planet is the desire to BE needed by others. As Christians, there isn't a magic switch that is suddenly flipped when we accept Christ that causes us to stop wanting to feel needed. I still can't go a single day without wanting to feel important and wanting to feel needed. Yet, as I continue to grow as a believer I have been confronted with the seemingly harsh truth that nobody needs me. What people really need is Jesus, and to see Jesus through my lifestyle.
It is a complete lie to tell ourselves that people need us, because in reality they don't. There is no possible way that anyone in the human race can completely fulfill the needs of another human being by their own efforts. The only way we can even begin to help others is by pointing them to Christ. Now, don't shaft the call that God has given you. By all means, feed the hungry, clothe the poor, and give comfort to the needy. But, while you are doing this, remember the real reason Jesus came and what He has ultimately called us to. Jesus came to rescue us from sin and provide atonement for us. He has called us to bring the Gospel to all nations, and He desires us to meet their physical needs so that we may reveal Him to them. So, while you are meeting their physical needs, FEED them with the Gospel, help to CLOTHE them in God's righteousness, and show them the ultimate source of COMFORT, the Lord and Savior of all men, Jesus Christ. That should always be the motivation of the good things we do for others. Don't do it to feed the ego or to show others how "holy" you are, do it to show them how holy and magnificent God is, because in reality, God is the only one who will never let them down. We may come up short, but God never does and He never will. In Isaiah 41:10, God speaks through Isaiah and says "Do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." When you feel alone and people have let you down, remember this verse, and remind others of this promise, as well. God will ALWAYS be by your side, no matter where you are. Whether you are faced with issues of abandonment, commitment, failure, or whatever it is, God will be there to life you up and protect you. He is not just the God of Jacob or the God of Moses, He is the God of all of us, and He promises to never leave us. He is the only one that anyone needs.
When we commit to change our lives, the best way, the only way, to truly make a permanent change is to realize that the change we are making shouldn't be for others or even for us. It should be for God. If we are motivated by anything else, it just becomes another empty promise we are making to ourselves and others. God uses the situations in our lives and the people in our lives to change us and to use that change for His glory. While we all only really need God, we can't escape the fact that we are all connected and that people are always affected by other people. That is the whole point of fellowship and evangelism. God uses us to help bring about life change in others. The best part is that we aren't even needed. God doesn't need us for anything. As humans, we are anything but needed. If anything, God could have seen us as a liability and left us out in the cold without a Savior. But he didn't. He sent Jesus, His only son, to die and suffer for us on a cross. God's love was perfected in that sacrifice, and by accepting Him we are saved and we accept His call to share this truth with others, despite the fact that He doesn't need us to. God has his plan, and He is going to do what He is going to do, regardless of whether or not we are a part of it. The fact that we aren't needed, but God chooses to use us anyways because of how much He loves us, that is so much better than being needed. But that's just my opinion.
