Savannah Zazulak
Religion 320: Judgment,
Providence, and Human Society
Rev. Scott Frazier
June 4, 2021
“Change
is Nature! The Part We Can Influence. And It Starts When We Decide”
Development,
as described by the Cambridge Dictionary, is the “process in which someone or
something grows or changes and becomes more advanced” (development)—it is a
noun, change is “to make or become” (change). Change is an action, a verb, it
is like running, jumping, dancing, it is something you choose to do.
Change
is without a doubt inevitable. Sometimes we have no choice of the change and
other times we make the choice to. Change is not something that can happen
overnight, but it only takes a quick second to make the decision to.
We were born evil, but we
have two births. One birth being from our mothers and fathers here on Earth,
our natural parents, our second birth being one we choose from the Lord, our
spiritual birth. And because of this, we were made to develop and grow while
changing. We do not have the same bodies and minds that we had when we were a
newborn, toddler, child, adolescent, teenager, young adult, etc. We go through
puberty, our bodies change, hormones change our chemical makeup, and
everything. We have no choice in the matter of whether or not we go through
those developmental changes, but it is what we do with those changes that come
into play and really matter.
Choice
is what makes us human.
We Are Temporary
Humans were not
made to live forever. We are a finite creation from a creator that is without a
doubt infinite. We were made in the likeness of the Lord, and He gave us the
chance to allow us to make our own decisions. Through the equilibrium and
balance of heaven and hell, we are allowed to choose evil or good, the devil or
the Lord. We are allowed to follow one or the other and change our minds any
time we want to. We are imperfect beings and will allows make mistakes, the
Lord does not want use to make bad and evil decisions, but we are allowed to do
this anyways. If we have done evil and lead lives that astray from being
vessels of the Lord’s love and wisdom we have the choice to be saved. We have
the power to push away evils of all kinds and change our lives, according to
True Christian Religion 659, “Since he has freedom to choose, he can will a
thing or not will it”.
Salvation and Repentance
Salvation and
repentance are a choice and a change that we choose to make in our lives. If we
have not been one with the Lord we choose to take action and make a change in
our lives to live according to the Word and to listen to the Lord. Salvation
and repentance are not just about being baptized and saying ten “Hail Mary’s”
every time we sin and choose evil. Salvation and repentance are a commitment to
the Lord that you are going to make in your life that with inevitably change
you forever. You are not predetermined to go to heaven or hell by the Lord, we
are the people that make that decision whether the Lord agrees with it or not. Because
the Lord allows us to change and be saved by his mercy and grace, we can make
ourselves new. It is said in Hebrews 1: 10-12 “And, ‘You, Lord laid the
foundation on earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your
hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment,
like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you
are the same, your years will have no end.’” I really like this quote from
Hebrews because if we choose to change our lives and pick salvation we will
have eternal life in the spiritual world. We are given a gift and we shall use
it to the best of our abilities in the right direction.
The Gift
Having the
ability to change is a complete gift from the Lord as it says in Ephesians 2:
8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your
doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may
boast”. Change is undoubtedly the most beautiful thing a person can do. We are
able to take our lives—as precious it is, and take it and make it into
something beautiful, indescribable, and most importantly a heaven on Earth. The
saying “be the change you want to see in the world” is one of my favorite
sayings, as cliché as it sounds. It is my favorite quote because we can empower
others to do the same especially if it is positive. Being able to be a positive
change, even if it is for one person for 30 seconds, is useful, charitable, it
is outside of ourselves, and we need to be able to recognize that it indeed
comes from the Lord. It even says so in Proverbs 3: 5-6 “Trust in the LORD with
all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways
acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths”. We should always look
towards the Lord and try and seek answers and understandings from Him to help
us make, what we hope and think to be as the right direction.
Openness
The most
important piece to the puzzle of change is to be open. Openness to new
information, new opportunities, openness to the Lord and everything He has to
offer. You must open your exteriors to have your interiors open and perceive
all the good that the natural and spiritual world has to offer. When new
information comes forth to us, we must internalize and digest the information
and then act upon it. Only then can we make change for the good and the better.
You cannot expect to progress as a person if you are not opened to change in
the first place.
Carousel of Progress
Progression
happens everywhere we look, even if we do not think it is progression, it is.
There is progression from dawn to dusk, year to year, progression in the trips
around the sun, the changes in the seasons, progression is all around us. There
is a ride in Magic Kingdom, Disney World called the “Carousel of Progress”, it
is one of my favorite rides there. It is about the changes in dialect,
technologies, people, times, culture, and everything. The reason why it is one
my favorite rides in Magic Kingdom is because it shows that change is a good
thing. It shows that without the progression and the ingenuity what we have now
and who we are today would not be possible. I personally cannot imagine myself
not in the times we are today. Today everyone everyday are becoming more equal
to each other, we are connected in so many ways so instantly now more than
ever. People are always coming up with ways to change the future and we as
humans are constantly changing and if we do not we will get left behind.
The Word of Spirits
No one wants to
be left behind or felt left out on Earth and even in the spiritual world.
Before anyone steps foot into heaven or hell they enter the World of Spirits.
In the World of Spirits souls get sorted, good souls go to heaven and evil
souls go to hell. But there is something that everyone goes through, and that
is instruction. Instruction introduces the souls to the Lord and the Word in
its literal meaning. There are three states to instruction. In the first state
of the World of Spirits, men and women begin to adapt to life in the spiritual
world, everything is like it is on Earth, but more perfect. In the second state
of the World of Spirits, your interiors slowly come to life and your exteriors
slowly begin to fade away as your interiors are what you become. Finally in the
third state of the World of Spirits is instruction, instruction teaches you the
truths of the Lord and the Word. The World of Spirits allows people to change
and become something more. It allows souls to become new and change for the
good, bad, etc. Change happens in the natural world and the spiritual world,
but in order for this to happen you just have to believe that you can change.
The Lord condemns no one, we have the power to change our fates, in Heaven and
Hell 525, Swedenborg writes “the Lord denies heaven to no one, and that they
can be admitted and stay as you desire it”. Your mindset is also an important
piece to this puzzle.
Outlook
Your mindset can
change the course of your path forever. Believing that you have the ability to
change is one of the biggest things that you can accomplish here in the natural
world and allows you to change your spiritual destiny. Because everything
around us and in us are in a continuous progression just being able to accept
that it is outside of you, and you cannot change that can make a huge
difference for you to be able to believe that you are capable to reacting and
changing as well. You are allowed to try new things. Trying new things allows
you to grow and experience things you could have never imagined. You are
allowed to try new things and not like them as well.
My Testimony
I personally
have tried so many new things, some that I have liked, some that I have loved,
some that I have hated, and some that I never would have tried if someone had not
visited me with information to try. I am grateful for all the experiences that
I chose to take. I have taken my experiences, the good and the bad, and I
learned and grew from them. Being allowed to change is one of the most
rewarding things I have met with. I love that I am not stuck in one mood, one
hobby, one set of friends, etc. I love that I am allowed to change and do
things that make me feel useful. I have changed my major and what I have wanted
to do with my life for years, except for now. People say all the time that they
have a calling to do what they do in their careers, and I believe I have found
that. I am a teacher. I found a use that I feel is my calling and it is because
of the gift of change from the Lord, I have the privilege to be able to be a
teacher and teacher the Lord’s children and be of use in my natural lifetime. I
do not know what my use will be in heaven, but I want to teach the souls of
children who have passed about the Lord, the Word, and every single thing that
heaven has to offer because what we are able to do here on Earth is truly
amazing. My life is only beginning, and I will continue to develop socially,
emotionally, physically, etc. and I will choose to keep up with it by change my
interiors because the Lord has provided me the chance to do so. Because we
develop, change in inevitable. Everything is going to progress and develop
whether we are ready for it or not. Relying on our internals, instincts, the
people around us, and trusting in the Lord will make a world of a difference.
My greatest advice, which so happens to be a Disney quote from the movie the
Lion King, is… “Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either
run from it or learn from it”. The things that happen in life are not what we
are destined to be or who we are, we have the power to change because the Lord
says so.
Works
Consulted
change.
CHANGE | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary. (n.d.). https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/change.
development.
DEVELOPMENT | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary. (n.d.). https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/development.
3 comments:
Loved this paper! I really enjoyed the Disneyland analogy and your testimony. It's fascinating to see how much of Christianity and religion in general is marked by changing oneself. In fact I think it would be fair to say all religions aim to do just that! I do have a question: once we reach our final community in the spiritual world, do we stop changing? Or do we continue to change for eternity?
"Be the change you want to be in the world" or the variation of that I love most is "be the good" regardless I love that you included this (also my favorite quote I think). I appreciate your dive into this topic because I am very passionate about this and our human ability to change and develop and become better and more useful. I also especially appreciate that you chose this side (which is what I really love to believe in) when I focused on the darker side of we are nothing so what's the point of changing.
I want to highlight your note about being "allowed" to change is one of the rewarding things in life you've come across and I think you're so right (whether or not there is spiritual backing for this but probably because of repentance). It is a luxury of a free government, financial freedom, societal freedom, etc. that we can work to better ourself or completely reinvent ourselves and everything in between. Change is a part of life and I think it is really sweet you focused on this topic because you want to be a kindergarten teacher.
Enjoyable and Positive paper. I like how you focused on how we are finite and how the Lord is infinite. I also enjoyed your discussion of equilibrium affecting choice. I think you could have reference the Writings a bit more than you did. Fair quotes otherwise. How does "mindset" relate to one's ability to change, is it something that the person just changes or do you think the Lord helps in some regard (other than making you exist)? What are your thoughts on psychological studies perhaps being valid in heaven too?
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