Photo by Kyle Larivee on Unsplash
A tree in winter looks finished from the outside — bare, still, apparently dormant. But the interior work never stops. Roots are extending. Nutrients are moving. The cambium layer just beneath the bark is quietly preparing what spring will eventually make visible. What is happening on the outside of your life is not always the most accurate report of what’s forming within.
Inward Renewal — “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17 ESV) Where do you see your inner life being renewed even as outward things fade?
New Has Come — “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18 ESV) What does new creation mean for the part of you that still feels defined by the old?
Spiritual Move: Renewing the Mind — By replacing old patterns of thinking with the truth of Scripture, the software of our mind is rewritten with God’s word. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2 ESV)