This is our B moment. Our moment to be still…to be fed by the Word of God…to be grateful.
Scripture reference: 2 Corinthians 4:16 (ESV)
Today, I am thinking about the change within us.
Lately, I’ve been talking a lot about change. In fact, I started the week by referring to the change in seasons, both in our natural and in our spiritual lives.
What I have come to learn (sometimes very much in the hard way) is that change isn’t always external. In fact, the most important change that can occur is the change within us.
When I turn to the Scriptures, I think about Naomi and her struggles with grief.
Naomi was a woman who experienced many unfortunate hardships. First, she lost her husband and, shortly after, her two sons.
Naomi believed that by changing her geography and her environment, she would begin to heal. Therefore, she moved back to her hometown.
However, when she arrived back home, the people that knew her well immediately recognized that she was no longer the joyful, pleasant Naomi that they had once known. In fact, she became so bitter and frustrated with life that she decided to change her name to Mara, meaning bitter.
In this way, we see that Naomi’s changed circumstances—her changed geography, that is—did not provide her any relief. This is because her heart was not changed. She failed to make the internal adjustments that she needed to make and, without them, her life didn’t change.
In the end, rather than walking further into the light, Naomi resisted an internal change of season, and she was incredibly unhappy for it.
Therefore, let us cling to these words the next time we’re grappling with change ourselves: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16 (ESV)
Please share this reflection as others desire to be inspired.
So today, don’t ignore the change needed within.
Leave a Reply