by Jacqui Crumrine, Associate Pastor
On August 6, 2019, Aaron and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary! Recently, we were out on a date night and we were getting to know each other. Yes, you read that right…we were getting to know each other! Twenty years into marriage, and we have four kids, two dogs, two cats and relatively busy schedules. Over those twenty years…every day has had its element of influence that has changed us, and we choose to fall in love with each other, each day. On this particular date night, we were reflecting on how much we had changed. And it caused me to pause and reflect…
So often in relationships we hear people say, “You’re not who you used to be!”, or “You’re not the person I married!” But usually when someone says that, it’s because there’s a part of you that’s not what they want you to be. Or, they continue to treat you as if you’ve never changed. Sometimes, people hold us to what we used to be, rather than let us become new creations. I hope that as we follow Christ we are constantly being changed. Not to mention all the things that life can throw at us that change us, for the good and bad.
God is all about transforming lives! He wants to change us from the inside out! And we are on a constant journey of being changed. My encouragement is to the people that are in our lives. Will you let us change? Will you let us be different than who we used to be? Can we show you that God is at work in our lives? But fair warning, we may not be adjusting to this transformation easily. We may even have moments where we look like our old selves, again. But, will you let us transform, please? We want to be made new!
What does this mean on a tangible, relational level? It means that we have to do the hard work of loving each other in the midst of change. It means that we have to keep asking the deeper questions, and be ok with the work that God is doing even though it may not happen over night. It means that we have to let go of the ideal image that we have of each other, and be willing to see the person God is creating right before our eyes.
Give people permission to transform, and watch and see what God does! Commit to getting to know this new person, and let them get to know the new you.
2 Corinthians 5: 16-17
‘So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we view Him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!’
Well said and great food for thought. On the flip side, if people aren’t seeing a change or if we aren’t swing a change in ourselves, we may need to get real with ourselves and check if we have committed to and truly taken the next step of faith! Thanks for sharing, Jacqui!!