Short story: Change can only come about in us when the change agent is love
@innertalks (21096)
Australia
June 22, 2022 12:54am CST
John's father had died, and John was reading some of his father's books.
They had been underlined in red biro, in some parts, and a word, or two, in comment, was sometimes added in the aisles.
As he read, he realised that his father had read this very same book, so many years ago.
John felt vitally connected to his father, at this time.
John put the book aside, and he thought about his dead Dad.
His father had loved books, but like John too, the reading of all of his books had not changed the essential character of who his father was.
His father remained an irascible, opinionated, bigot, and died like that still too.
"Can we really ever change our makeup, after it has already been made up?"
John thought to himself.
It seemed not, was his conclusion.
How can we change and become different from the person that we are right now?
Change is not possible unless it is love that makes the changes in you.
And the only way that love can do this, is if you connect to the source of all love, to God.
Then, and only then, can you change.
Both John, and his father, could not change, because they were afraid of what that love would change them to.
They had no courage to live a life of love, so they both remained unchanged.
Photo credit: The photo used here belongs to the author of this piece.
To change, we need the change agent of love, living within us alive.
7 people like this
7 responses
@Shiva49 (26233)
• Singapore
22 Jun 22
I tend to analyze my experiences with people and events and adapt.
They tend to have an impact on my outlook to life.
That way I am not rigid.
However, who I am has not changed as some characteristics are too ingrained in me and I do not want to leave the comfort zone.
I think most are like me and even John and his father would have been influenced by their life experiences though they light have stayed opinionated all through their lives.
4 people like this
@Dreamerby (3049)
• Calcutta, India
22 Jun 22
Yes we have some inborn traits that can never be shed off. True.
3 people like this
@innertalks (21096)
• Australia
22 Jun 22
@Shiva49 Siva, I am not sure if I agree entirely with that comment.
A leopard cannot change its spot, it is said, but is this really true?
God in his perfection can change his mind still, and choose directions within his perfection, and we can also change our basic makeup, which is partly inherited from our parents as karma, as if this karma is seen for what it is, and resolved, instead of being an angry person, we can become as docile as a monk.
I have seen this myself with meditating monks. Their whole personality can change, and they can become always so fluidly amiable, almost docile, but something more than that, in their outlook, rather than confrontational angry anymore.
In short, they are loving in all areas, not just in some areas, whereas the rest of them is still being controlled by their inborn traits/dispositions.
2 people like this
@Shiva49 (26233)
• Singapore
22 Jun 22
@Dreamerby Even life changing experiences cannot erase the basic traits in us.
2 people like this
@m_audrey6788 (58482)
• Germany
22 Jun 22
Change must comes within yourself. If you want to change, then it can 
4 people like this
@innertalks (21096)
• Australia
22 Jun 22
Yes, that is what most people think, but many people cannot change themselves, and they need help to do so.
They are locked into fear, or into a certain mindset of behaviour, and they need help, either from God, or from a good psychologist, to help them to change.
The decision to want to change must come from ourselves though.
My Dad wanted to change, but he could not change. I want to change, but until now, I cannot seem to change either.
Perhaps, we are both afraid of the changes such change will bring, and so it is easier to stay as we are.
Some people do not believe that they can change either. They need an injection of love, and understanding, that will help them to move past inner blockages, and to change.
@m_audrey6788 (58482)
• Germany
22 Jun 22
@innertalks Yes. There are cases in my life that I can`t change too because I don`t like to change due to some good reasons I believe that makes me feel good
4 people like this
@Dreamerby (3049)
• Calcutta, India
22 Jun 22
@innertalks I want to change too. Like whenever I get into a relationship, my whole life starts to revolve around that person. However, I don't want to be like this. I want to focus more on myself.
4 people like this
@jstory07 (134743)
• Roseburg, Oregon
23 Jun 22
@innertalks Yes you have to want to change in order to change.
3 people like this
@innertalks (21096)
• Australia
23 Jun 22
@jstory07 Yes, nothing much can change in us if we refuse to change, unless we get hit by a Mack truck, of course; that would change us, in some ways, for sure.
@innertalks (21096)
• Australia
23 Jun 22
Well, if it is also true, that God is love, love should, via God, be always capable of changing someone, and yet that person, still has to accept the change within themselves too.
For human love to change someone, I guess, it depends if the person loves the other person enough back again too, to want to choose to change for them.
We have to decide to want to change ourselves, and accept the changes that are happening to us too.
@Nakitakona (56302)
• Philippines
28 Jun 22
Love changes everything for good and even better uf not best.
1 person likes this
@innertalks (21096)
• Australia
28 Jun 22
Yes, love is certainly the best change agent for each of us to avail of in our lives.
@innertalks (21096)
• Australia
10 Jul 22
Thanks, I agree with that, in regards to good change.
Change can be good, or bad though, and if we live a life of self-deception, we usually change for the worst.
I also think that if we live from our heart of love first, truth will emerge from that way of living, and so we will then live from truth too.
Understanding of truth with our mind is another whole area though.
We can live truth, without understanding it yet, because we accept the love in our heart, guiding us to live that way, so we follow love, rather than the ego, or the greed, of a mind as yet without full understanding.
I get upset because I want to understand first, before deciding to live a life of love, but the longer I live, I realise that to live a life of truth and love, we need to live from them first, and put the doubts, and incomplete understanding, of our minds, aside for now.
I think that it is the same with the Holy Spirit, that guides us too.
We can be a voice for the Holy Spirit, but it doesn't mean that we are that holy spirit; we remain ourselves, but it does give us guidance, and if we are ready in our mind to change, we can change, but our heart is always ahead of our minds, which needs to catch up with help from God, love, and from better understanding his truth.
@Dreamerby (3049)
• Calcutta, India
22 Jun 22
Is this any abridged version of The Bible?
4 people like this
@beesure11 (223)
•
23 Jun 22
In my opinion, in order for us to change it starts in the mind.
The Bible says in Romans 12:2 - Be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. When you start with the mind the heart will follow.
