Good morning.
September is a month of new starts and changes. While September doesn’t capture the frenzy of early January and all the potential of those New Years’ resolutions, this time of the year, like January, comes after a period of rest.
This week many of us will see young families on the way to school as the new academic year begins. For some families it might be a milestone, perhaps it will be the first day of school for a first-born. Later in the month, like all other universities we will welcome thousands of young people through our doors as they begin their university studies. And for many others, September may bring a change of job, career or lifestyle.
It is no coincidence that we make changes to what we do, where we work or how we do things, following a period of rest and relaxation. Such periods can offer a time to reflect and to ask questions that don’t often get heard during the year when many other calls distract us and embed us in our day-to-day routine. But stepping back from the hustle and bustle is an essential prerequisite for good change. For such change to be worthwhile it has to last. Sadly as we know from those gym memberships we take out in January but which usually wane by March, the desire for change often doesn’t last beyond the initial weeks or months if we are lucky.
So how we go about change in our lives is all the more important if it is to be meaningful. Is there a better way for us to retain the insights and thoughts that only come to us when we detach? To make the best of them we need to find ways to integrate them into our regular routine. Many faiths can provide a means to do just that.
Metanoia, a Greek word found in the New Testament, which sadly does not easily translate into English, tells us quite a bit about what sort of change we should undertake for it to last. Metanoia speaks of a change that is internal, not external. It calls for nothing less than an inner change, which is about changing the mind, purpose and character. The external – the change of life - flows from that internal shift; not the other way around. It requires reflection and leads to renewal.
None of this is easy, as we all know. But this September if you’re in a new job, a new school or just want to change from the day to day routine, then that call to inner change might just provide us with the courage to change, and the strength to persevere.