Do you ever have one of those moments where you read or hear something that really resonates with you? Something that makes you sit up a little straighter, something that makes you suddenly shift your thinking?
A couple of weeks ago, I was listening to a message at church. I don’t even really remember what the message was about, but that’s okay. During the message, the pastor encouraged us to ask ourselves the question, “Who Am I Becoming? In other words, if I continue the way I am right now, with the same thoughts, activities and actions, who will I be in a year from now?” Wow. Good question.
I immediately perked up and began to consider. Who am I becoming? Who does God call me to be? I need to keep the vision of this person before me if I am to move closer to becoming who I really am.
Who am I becoming?
- a passionate follower of Jesus
- a generous wife
- an unconditionally loving mom
- a devoted friend/family member
- a dependable homeschooling teacher
- an organized homemaker
This person is not going to happen by leaving myself on default.
In my journey with God, I am aware that change happens from the inside out. However, the practical working out of this has been confusing to me. Am I supposed to just wait, then, until I feel like being all of these things above? Is that what inside out change means? Here is the thing: while heart change will always be ongoing in our lives, when I was welcomed into the Lord’s family, He changed me right away.
If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
If my list above is who I truly am already, there is no need for me to wait for another change of heart to bring my actions into alignment. In other words, it is okay to actively work on my thoughts and actions. (Maybe this is more of a duh moment for you than the aha moment it was for me?) These days, in general society and in our churches, the focus seems to be placed almost exclusively on personal inner growth. Our actions are an afterthought, expected to fall into place on their own. But, consider this thought from Scripture:
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24
Why didn’t He just say, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must just study my life and the more he gets to know me, the more his heart and actions will naturally fall into place”? Could it be that it is just not true? Am I expected to have to make an effort? Do I, as a Christian, actually still have to fight against my human nature default settings? Darn! That sounds like work!
Tomorrow, I will share the idea and the practical steps I have been taking to work this idea out in my life. I hope you will find it as inspiring as I do. 
I can’t wait for your next entry!
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