The spring season is a season filled with change in many ways; flowers and sprouts start appearing in nature, households undergo the famous “spring cleaning” and daylight savings time begins.
What Is change?
According to wordnet.princeton.edu change is: Any variation or alteration; a passing from one state or form to another; as, a change of countenance; a change of habits or principles. A succession or substitution of one thing in the place of another; a difference; novelty; variety; as, a change of seasons.
A passing from one phase to another; as, a change of the moon. Alteration in the order of a series; permutation.
Change and Life
Different accounts, scientific and faith-based, of how life in this planet originated and perpetuates itself identify change as a key element for the existence of life.
The Bible narrates in the book of Genesis how God formed the Earth and creation by gradually changing the “formless and empty darkness” which was there in the beginning into a place where light, sky, water, vegetation, animals, and humans exist. (Genesis 1). God changed the conditions of the void by creating living and inanimate matter; we see a change taking place.
Science also explains how in an embryo is created through the differentiation and specialization of different cells which come from the union of two gametes. One cell multiplies and changes into millions of different kinds of cells to create a living organism; a zygote becomes an embryo, which turns into a fetus and later a baby; we see a change taking place.
Regardless of the lens we choose to look from … we can agree that change is a part of life, change results from the temporary nature of our earthly existence, change happens to everyone and everything in this planet … change is a precondition for life.
Two Kinds of Change
In our lives, we experience changes without even realizing it; seasons change, conditions change, we grow older, we go from one stage of our life to the next, we sometimes experience loss or unexpected out-of-the-ordinary situations. In order to study the phenomenon of change, scholars have categorized change in two kinds; cyclical change or structural change.
Cyclical change, as described by its name, is a change that occurs on a regular interval … for example seasons, fashion trends or business cycles … this kind of change is not permanent and can be reversed.
Structural change is a change that is unusual such as a revolution in a country, loss or death … this kind of change is permanent and cannot be reversed.
(Source: http://www.radicalchangegroup.com/2008/11/02/58-the-types-of-change/)
Change and TV
One of the biggest money-makers in the TV industry is the shows that capitalize on documenting change, such as makeover and improvement shows … as an avid TV. viewer, please allow me to name my top five shows dealing with change:
5. Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style: it is a Bravo produced show where fashion-impaired ladies get the tools to reinvent their wardrobes from Tim Gunn.
4. Extreme Makeover: it is a total revamp of a person’s appearance which includes months of training, plastic surgery, wardrobe reinvention, plus hair and makeup.
3. Extreme Makeover Home Edition: this show deals with the renovation of the house of a deserving family … it is a joint effort of the TV. show and the friends of the family.
2. What Not to Wear: people are recommended by their family and friends for this show … another show which deals with the fashion-impaired.
1. Pimp My Ride: a show dealing with car-makeovers.
So Please MTV, Pimp My Ride!
I especially like the format of Pimp My Ride … the show begins by introducing us to a person who has a car in dire need of repair … usually the car is falling apart and barely driving. After detailing all the malfunctions and glitches of the car the owner issues a plea to MTV asking for help, the first scene of the show always ends with the phrase “so please MTV pimp my ride” … the next scene shows the host Xzibit coming to the person’s house first to inspect the car and to announce that a change is coming; MTV has heard the plea and is going to Pimp the Ride.
It is so funny and endearing to see the people’s reaction when they open the door and see Xzibit standing in front of them … they are ecstatic; some will scream others will jump and scream, and others will scream, jump, and embrace Xzibit like he was a long-lost brother. These people understand the implications of Xzibit’s presence at their front door; he’s coming to bring about a much needed change … He’s coming to get the defective automobile, and he’s going to take that car to get work done in one of the best garages in California … the participants in the show are aware that the next time they see their car, it is no longer going to be defective; not only will it be repaired but also immensely improved a.k.a. pimped. This change brings joy, anticipation, and excitement to people’s lives … and I like watching all these emotions unfold.
Just like the introduction of the show follows the same format over and over, the conclusion of the show also follows one recurring format; once the car is in a new and improved, the owner is invited to the garage to witness the “great reveal.” The mechanics explain step-by-step the repairs, improvements, and changes made to the car and the owner of the car responds in amazement and gratitude. The host of the show, Xzibit presents the person with his car keys and before letting him/her drive away he tells them: “You’ve officially been pimp’d.”
Jesus the Great Mechanic
Recently we celebrated Easter … a time when we remember Jesus’ life here on earth, his death on the cross, and his resurrection after three days. However, many times we overlook the fact that Easter is also celebration of change; through his sacrifice, Jesus has dramatically changed the course of history and the potential outcome of our lives. In the show Pimp My Ride the cars are changed at two levels; first the mechanics fix those things which are malfunctioning or have deteriorated over time, and second the mechanics improve the car by adding equipment that the car did not have even when it was new from the dealer; such as extra-powerful stereo or GPS navigation system, which enhance the car’s condition beyond the owner’s expectations.
Similarly, Jesus brings change to our life at two levels; first he repairs the damage caused by sin and the works of the enemy our life, the Bible says in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord,” and John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Second, Jesus improves our life through giving us the opportunity to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit, our God-given GPS navigation system, and by opening the way to the throne of the father. Paul says in Ephesians 3:13-21 that we can know the depths of God’s love and be strengthened in our inner man through his Spirit and that God is “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” … in other words; the changes that Jesus brings to our lives can exceed our expectations.
