I’ll Change Tomorrow

Before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the Lord. Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility . . . Zephaniah 2:2-3

As a teenager, I recall thinking that the adults around me were naturally mature and that I would automatically get there. I knew they weren’t perfect, but I saw the adults in my church as serious Christians who didn’t have any struggles and who had life all figured out. Errantly, I assumed that I too, would just naturally grow up as I grew older. This didn’t happen.

As I grew older, my struggles grew with me. Following my own way didn’t just naturally dissolve away into following God. When I first discovered the euphoria of pills, I knew it was wrong, but just as I did as a teenager, I assumed I’d grow out of it. It’s just a phase. I’ll enjoy it today and I’ll quit tomorrow. One tomorrow grew into a thousand and eventually, I found the disaster of my own making.

For the one struggling to quit any addiction, whether it’s pornography, drugs, greed, food, work, affirmation, bitterness, anger, shopping, or gambling, tomorrow is always the day to quit. Today is always just one last time. Despite massive evidence to the contrary, we believe that tomorrow, we’ll simply decide to be done.

The fact that we seem to have gotten away with our destructive behavior isn’t helpful. Lack of painful consequences only discourages us from repentance. I’ve gotten away with it so far. Once more won’t hurt.

In today’s passage though, Zephaniah declares that a day is coming for all of us when our destructive behavior will catch up with us. He insists that today is the time to repent, change our ways, and seek God. We may think we are getting away with it, but the poisonous seeds we’re sowing today, will eventually mature into toxic consequences.

We don’t grow and change by doing nothing. Zephaniah insists that if we want to know true life in God, instead of the misery of our way, we must humbly abandon ourselves and seek him. Waiting for tomorrow to change is a lie. If we truly desire transformation, today is the day.