Most everyone has heard it said at some point in their life, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I have no idea where this came from? I learned it from hearing it from someone in the course of growing up, I guess. I think this could apply to most principles, morals and core values in life; for the most part those remain concrete.
However, we should also expect change in our lives. There are times and seasons for everything in Life; King Solomon wrote it in Ecclesiates 3. We are curious, adventurous beings created by God, and we are constantly looking to new horizons and ways to improve life. “Change is the Law of Life. Those who only look to the past or present, are certain to miss the future.” John F. Kennedy
So, when it comes to change, learning and growing in life, the “if it ain’t broke” idiom should read, “If it ain’t broke, fix it anyway!”
Lately, I have been reading the Myths About Growing Churches section of Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose Driven Church.” In particular, today I read Myth #6 – There is One Secret Key to Church Growth. Then, I tweeted a quote from this section – “The message of church should never change, but the methods MUST change with each new generation” - and a short discussion began about methods, growth and change on Facebook. Thanks Chris! He asked, “What methods should change?”
My response was that methods are the way churches DO ministry, DO music, DO worship, DO outreach, DO media, etc… If there is no modern change and growth, the methods become irrelevant. I am not saying the message, principles and core values of Christianity should change; rather, the way we present and DO church must always change and grow. If church isn’t growing and changing, it’s only as effective as where it stopped growing and changing.
I want the same for my personal life – I have to constantly change and grow to remain relevant; especially with the rate of change and growth with technology. Three years….5 years….10 years from now I want to be able to look back at my personal life and measure how I grew from one place to the next. I must Progress! I want my wife and my son to mark that and I want to be able to see that in them as well. The change and growth begins with me.
Change or growth should not always take place because of crisis, failure, etc… – I need to change and growth daily to fulfill the purpose God has for me, my family, my church and my work.
The way I did life 1 year ago is different than the way I DO life now. Learn from the past and keep moving forward.
Collin Powell said it like this: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant or the scared. It’s an excuse for inaction, a call to non-arms.” When I wake in the morning, it is another call-to-action to begin learning, growing and changing. When I lay down at night, I should be able to name at least one thing I learned. LEARN! GROW! CHANGE! PROGRESS!