Becoming the new me. I must change. Not because I can't stay the way I am, but because my family and friends and other people, and the universe, and God himself deserve a better version of me than is currently walking around. My heart, my life, must be ruled by love and not by fear. I must learn to be patient. I must learn to be kind. I can no longer afford to be offended by things that are not really offensive, and I cannot afford to get angry over things that do not warrant that kind of response. I cannot continue to act like certain things are really ok when they most certainly are not. Somewhere inside of me is this better me trying to find his way to the surface. I must make a way for him to get out even if the other me must die in the process. Perhaps he must die anyway in order for the me that I want to be, to really live.
My life (and yours) is not primarily about who I was or even who I am at the moment. More than anything it is about who I am becoming and will become. I have endless opportunities to change because the Father has a perfect recipe for that. The opportunity to really be different is always close at hand, but the shadows of my own brokenness and the part of my ego that governs there is more interested in staying the same. Business as usual is the business. The truth is, I am surrounded by people who are trying their best, doing their best, the best they can do often against overwhelming odds. Many are more broken than I am and suffering in ways that I cannot even imagine. All they need is a little encouragement or a leg up and not a push down, but more than that, they could also really use a much better me.
Reflections As you walk this journey today, How have you been unable to change because it was too hard and too painful?
What are some ways that you need to change your mind about yourself or your circumstances to catch up with who you are becoming?
Who are you becoming, and who do you want to become?
If you could change in one significant way, what would it be?
How will you allow the circumstances of life in this one day to change you?
What does the better you look like?
Do you recognize him (her) when you catch a glimpse of him (her)?
How can you allow more room for this person the world is longing to see?
How will you invite God to guide you in this endeavor, to become the new you?
Scripture to consider - 2 Corinthians 5:17 -Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: a The old has gone, the new is here!
Quotable Perspectives “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
― Leo Tolstoy
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
― Rumi
“We are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of it.”
― Rick Warren
“No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become. No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just come out the other side.
Or you don't.”
― Stephen King
“Take it from me: If you hear the past speaking to you, feel it tugging up your back and running its fingers up your spine, the best thing to do-the only thing-is run.”
― Lauren Oliver A simple prayer for change:
Father, I thank you that you have a perfect picture in your heart of what I look like, who I am and how I am. Would you teach me how to make a much larger place in myself for the person you created me to be? Will you give me the grace to let go of who I've been and completely embrace who I am becoming. Would you fill me with the same joy and excitement for myself that fills your heart every time you see me?
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