Have you ever wondered why the disciples were willing to walk away from everything to follow Jesus? What would cause them to leave their fishing nets on the shore or to get up from their tax collecting booth?

It seems to me three things initiate change: (1) There’s too much pain where we are to remain, (2) the potential for something better makes staying undesirable, (3) we learn a better way through experience or education. If that’s the case, the disciples saw in Jesus the potential for something far better than what they were experiencing and risked their livelihoods to figure it out.

Sometimes change occurs because of the simplest thing. For me, recently it was a to-do list. Several unfinished projects weighed me down. I’d walk past them and sigh. I fell into the habit of saying, “Someday.” I’ve heard enough “somedays” to realize it usually means it’s not likely to happen. And that’s not where I wanted to stay, mostly because I had a lot of kingdom work to do and those projects were mental baggage. I prayed for motivation, and God provided it. A list of small steps motivated me to act when nothing else did.

I’m not done with my projects, but I’m closer than I was. And every time I complete one more small step, progress motivates me to keep going. I want to cross these things off and get on to more important things.

Are you happy where you are? Spiritually are you at peace? What part of your life would you love to be different? Are you tired of living the way you are? When will God have his rightful place in your heart and the stuff of the world lose its grip on your soul?

The answer is when you get to the turning point. Only God knows if it will take pain or experience or the smallest change in perspective. The important thing is to realize you don’t have to stay where you are.

Pray God brings you to a turning point, that one thing moves you to want change enough to do something. And pray he gives you the strength to keep going after you reach the turning point.

Change is hard, but not impossible. One small step in the right direction is one small step in the right direction. And each small step is one step away from where you were and one step closer to where you want to be.