The change triangle: a tool for engaging with God’s process of change
Last year I was tasked with bringing together some of my biblical counselling training for the benefit of our church family. I came up with The Change Triangle, synthesising key content and trying to make it simple and accessible to others. I’ve made it available for anyone who’s interested.
What is The Change Triangle? It’s a summary of the core elements at play in each of our lives. It’s designed to orient us to what’s going on in any given moment: outside of us (the situation), inside of us (the heart), and place our lives before the God (God) who meets us relevant to what’s going on outside and inside of us.
Triangulation
David Powlison speaks of triangulation to capture the interplay of these three dynamics. Dynamics that are key to God’s work of forming our character. We may read and interact with the words of the Bible. We’re going to a good source—God’s very words designed to transform us (Is. 55:10–13). But we can fall into any number of errors that keep that word from changing us. That word needs to target the detail of what’s happening to us and what’s happening in us. We need the:
‘triangulation between external troubles, internal struggles and the active, hands-on, self-revealing Shepherd.’
David Powlison, How Does Scripture Change You?, 29.
These dynamics were brought to life for me personally through David’s Dynamics of Biblical Change class which I was privileged to take during 2017. At the time I was studying theology at Bible college in Sydney (2015–2017). This season—particularly our first two years as a family there—was very tough. It left me hungry for answers to daily struggles. Hungry to understand how God’s commitment to change me worked itself out in the midst of prolonged broken sleep, a season of depression, the sharp learning curve of parenting two young boys, and trouble connecting in our marriage. I had been living with big ‘gospel gaps’ (to borrow the language of Tim Lane andPaul Tripp in How People Change). That is, I saw the good news of Jesus as relevant for dealing my past sin. I saw it as providing some hope for the future. But it was quite disconnected from these struggles of daily life, the here-and-now. Our time struggling as a young family at Bible college was the means God used to expose this gap and awaken a hunger for the Bible applied personally and specifically to our immediate struggles. God spoke through the Dynamics of Biblical Change class. He spoke into this gap. He continues to speak into this gap.
(By the way, Bible college was a rich and formative experience for us. But it was very much being ‘in the school of God’ as it’s been spoken of in church history that mattered. God ruling over all the details of our lives and using everything to form our character. To shape us in His likeness. Meeting us in the details of our external and internal struggles.)
A helicopter view of life
Lane and Tripp write of our need for a ‘helicopter’ view of life (How People Change). An overarching picture of life shaped by the Bible. Like a map that can orient you to where you are at any given moment. Like when you’re lost in an unfamiliar city.
But we don’t often see this in the Bible:
‘When you study your Bible, it doesn’t seem to give you a helicopter view of life. When you read the minutiae of historical detail and genealogies or struggle through a theological argument, it may not seem like the Bible applies to your life at all! Scripture can seem like a random collection of stories, poems, teaching, and commands.’
Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp, How People Change.
But this is more to do with how we tend to read the Bible. The reality is:
‘when you examine the Bible carefully, you see that it does provide an overall picture of life. This is important because only when you have an overall sense of what God is doing can you make sense of the details of your life.’
Lane and Tripp, How People Change.
This is what I encoutnered in the Dynamics of Biblical Change. A way putting together an overall sense of what God is doing. A helictopter view to help us make sense of the details of our lives. This is what I’ve tried to distill in The Change Triangle.
(The Change Triangle is just a simplified version of what David presents in his class as the ‘3 Trees Diagram’ reproduced in How People Change. I’ve tried to make central ideas more accessible for those unable to take David’s class or make headway reading How People Change. But in doing so, I don’t have the more complete biblical picture and nuance captured in the 3 Trees Digram.)
Start with the questions
I’ve had opportunity to present The Change Triangle at our church in the form of videos, interactive discussions and case studies. But people’s experience was that it seem too ‘out there’—too hard to apply and internalise personally. I’ve learnt that the best starting point with this tool is questions to orient us to the categories at play. Questions that get us thinking about them in relation to our struggles. If you’d like use The Change Triangle personally, or in a group context, I think this is the best place to start.
Here they are. ‘Questions to walk you through the change process’ (adapted from David’s class, used with permission):
1. Situation
What happens to you that brings pressure, temptation or trouble?
(In other words: when, where, and with whom do you struggle? What are the things happening outside of you that push your buttons?)
2. Thorny Heart
a. How are you reacting to your situation?
(In other words: what do you typically do? How do you respond in thoughts, words, actions, feelings, decisions, ways of relating?)
b. What desires lie beneath this reaction?
(In other words: what are you wanting that replaces God as your greatest love and main focus? I want___ ? I fear___ ? I need___ ? I trust___ ?)
3. God
Who is God — relevant to this struggle?
(In other words: what does God say, promise and do that relates directly to what you’re facing right now? His person, words, and actions intend to enter, address, and change how you see your situation, how you react, and the reasons for your reactions.)
4. Fruitful Heart
a. What would it look like to relate to God on the basis of how He meets you in your struggle?
(In other words: How will you have a honest, intelligent, deliberate conversation with God? Respond to God from the heart. Stop. Listen. Ponder. Turn. Trust. Come. Seek. Ask. Talk. Relate with Him.)
b. In what ways is God calling you to bear fruit in this situation?
(In other words: how will you respond in constructive ways? How will you show intelligent love for others [the opposite of every sin]? Speak. Act. Do. Don’t do. Choose.)
There. They’re questions to take this helicopter view in The Change Triangle and make them personal. Specific.
Don’t get overwhlemed by the volume of questions/comments. The question in bold is to draw you to the main idea. The other questions and comments just flesh that out or use others words to clarify the goal.
Resources
Video content
Earlier I mentioned video content. If you’re interested in this tool I’ve produced a series of nine videos unpacking and applying this understanding of The Change Triangle. Here’s the YouTube playlist.
PDF & questions
Want to download The Change Triangle with the questions to walk you through the change process? Here’s the PDF. (You may redistribute it as you see fit.)
In coming weeks I’d like to make further posts unpacking The Change Triangle further. Making suggestions for how to use and apply it. Making available some of the video content in written blog form.
For now I’d love to hear you’re thoughts. What do you think of The Change Triangle? Make a comment here or drop me an email: jeremy@wisdominconversation.com.
