"I know honey," said mom, "Brother is a bigger boy than you."

"Sure he is," said the child, "and he always will be if he keeps this up!"

+ + +

That child may have been confused about cause/effect, but he was latching on to an important principle:  if we continue doing things the same way, we will continue to get the same results.

It is a new millennium -- but we live in the same old world -- and it's the same old you and me.

Someone called me recently. She was drinking heavily, and despondent. Her husband is also an alcoholic.

"When will life change for me? When will if stop falling apart?"

"It won't," I said. "Your life can't change until you change. Your life isn't falling apart. You are tearing it apart. When you stop drinking, life will change for you."

Change is hard, because even good choices have hard consequences.

Did you hear me?

This is something we all need to know. It is hard for us to change, because both change and failure to change can be painful.

Then why change?

Because one pain is greater than the other. The pain of change tends to be immediate and obvious.

The pain that come from failure to make the necessary changes in the way we live is often delayed, even hidden, but eventually we face the consequences.

And like the Energizer bunny -- the pain of bad choices goes on and on and on -- until we finally lose the battle and there are no more choices to be made.

It's over.

The time to make that change for good is now. Accept the lesser pain that will save you from the greater pain. And then experience the joy that comes with living life in accord with God's purposes for us.

And if  I may harp on a favorite subject:  the time to get to church is also now -- here, in the beginning of a new century.

I know the difficulties. Time is a problem. The rest of the family may not want to go. You need the rest. There are always good reasons for bad choices -- and the right choices always have some negative consequences.

But the pain of bad choices is always greater in the long run!

Your spiritual life will not change until you choose to change it.

Choose God. Choose life.

Worship somewhere this weekend.