It’s hard to believe that the first month of the new year is already over today.  Some have made resolutions; others are sporting hairdos to accompany a makeover to start off the year.  People who were once single are starting the adventure of life with a new husband or wife, while others who were married for many years are learning to start over as a single person again maybe due to death or a divorce. Moving to another city for a job opportunity may be on the radar for those who wish to increase their financial standing. No matter what the reason, now is the time when people are thinking about and doing “new things.”

In order for a real change to occur, one must look at where they were, decide where they would like to be, and then take active steps to get there. This last step requires the courage to make a conscious decision to move forward. We can’t move forward holding on to the past.  Sometimes in order for this to happen we must leave some things behind and embrace things that take us out of our comfort zone.  Matthew 9:17 addresses this idea by stating “Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. “

As Christians we know that we are expected to live “differently” from how the world lives and in order to do this we must change the way we think and act. It is through our choices and lessons learned that we evolve.  2 Corinthians 5:17 puts it this way; “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. “Every time that we change in a positive way, we are becoming the “new Christ-like creation that God desires and originally envisioned us to be.

So before you dye your hair, go wardrobe shopping and give yourself a superficial “makeover” for the new year, take a few minutes and look inside of your heart and figure out how you would like to be more like Christ and truly become a “new you” for this new year.

Blessings!