This is definitely
the season to begin a new life and new habits—to let go of the victim mentality
and put on the mindset of a victor. The earth is bursting with new life: springy
white lambs, calves, baby chicks and more. And despite the unseasonal amount of
hail and snow we’ve had this year, daffodils and lilac buds are valiantly
proclaiming spring is here. I am so ready!
But coming
to life isn’t always as easy as it seems. Many babies have to work just to
enter the world. Baby birds must peck their way out of the shell, and in so
doing develop the strength to survive. If anyone does the work for them and
pulls away the shell, they will die. The same is true with butterflies. They
themselves must work their way from the cocoon and wait for their wings to
unfold and dry before taking flight.
Baby
giraffes get unexpectedly rough treatment from Mom when they first stand up on their
spindly, wobbly legs. She pushes them over, not just once, but over and over
again! Though it seems cruel, she knows they must develop strong leg muscles quickly
to escape predators looking for a giraffic snack.
It’s no
surprise then, that we have to do a little work when we are reborn as well. First,
comes death. The old self—the sinful, selfish, willful self has to go to make
room for the new self (like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly).
Our tendency
though—my tendency—is to expect new life before I’ve died to the old one. We
whine and complain about having to die, and get in the way of the abundant life
God wants to give us. Debra Jarvis said it well in her article “Down Off the
Cross” (Reader’s Digest, October 2016).
“With any resurrection story, we know that you must die before you can be
reborn…For us, being in the tomb means doing our own work around our wounds and
letting ourselves be healed. We have to let our old story go so that a newer,
truer story can be told about who we are.”
Jesus, the
Son of God, submitted to death so life could once again course through His
veins. He suffered men’s jealousy, misunderstanding, cruelty, and betrayal, yet
was not a victim. His sacrifice thwarted Satan’s plans to dominate and enslave mankind.
Jesus chose to die, submitting to His
Father’s plan, in order to rise again as Lord and Victor over death. He did it
for us, so we might have new life in Him.
If we’re
willing to let the old self die, we can be made new. “Do not offer any part of
yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to
God as those who have been brought from death
to life; and offer every part of
yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness” (Rom. 6:13). The choice is
ours—remaining a victim to sin, or accepting Jesus’ victory over sin to rise
with Him abounding with joy. Death to life.
#Easter
#deathtolife #Rom6:13 #John12:24 #dyingishardwork
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As I related in my 2 miniute testimony last Sunday morning, I needed to let go of my "less than award winning" financial habits before I could experience financial freedom. Or otherwise quoted as "being recession proof".
ReplyDeleteWe have to let go of the old before we can be made new. No old wineskins for me!
Good work Trish. Spending habits are one of the hardest to let die. But you're right, we have to let them go before the new better habits can come in.
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