A New You

Even though it has been almost 45 years since Sammy Davis, Jr. recorded his hit single, "I've Gotta Be Me," some people seem to think they invented the phrase. They use it to explain their peculiarities, to justify their decisions, and to excuse their lapses in judgment. They would lead you to believe the most unreasonable thing you could do would be to challenge them to move out of their self-defined comfort zone. They complain, “That's just not me!”

While there is certainly some value in knowing yourself—your strengths and weaknesses, your good and bad habits, the way other people interpret your personal relational style; most people are not content to live a life that offers no promise of improvement. Indeed, many more people are frustrated that they can’t make the changes they would like to see reflected in the mirror, than are content to just accept the status quo.

The forty-day season of Lent began on Ash Wednesday. It has been a time when the community of faith has turned its attention to spiritual preparation, repentance and reconciliation. A time when the whole congregation is reminded of the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ. A time when we reclaim the hope that “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

It is also a time when we recall that “all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ” (5:18). No one is able to recreate themselves entirely from their own resources. By self-examination and repentance; in times of prayer, fasting and self-denial; and by reading and meditating of God’s Holy Word; those who seek God’s will for their lives, remember that only by God’s gracious gift are we given everlasting life.

     Lent is a season when we are challenged to exercise some discipline. As we enter this season together, let me encourage you to notice the beauty all around you as flowers spring from the earth and trees and shrubs are covered with blossoms. Let that be a reminder of the transformation God wants to work in your life as God’s grace changes you. That will make this Easter a particularly significant celebration of new life.