5 Keys to Reforming
He can redeem, renew, and reform us entirely – body, mind, and soul. How?
We have to give Him permission.
We’re ringing in the New Year with hope and gratitude for all the possibilities on the horizon! January offers a fresh start and a new beginning – an opportunity to grow in wholeness and holiness, and become the best version of ourselves. Regardless of the challenges of the past year, no matter where you find yourself today, there’s one thing you can know with certainty: Christ makes all things new.
At a time when the world pressures us to commit to routine resolutions and transient goals, we want to focus on what it means to reform. Instead of chasing numbers on the scale and in our bank account, let’s measure success by whole person reformation: our willingness to invite Christ into the center of all aspects of our well-being, our desire to grow into our God-given potential, and our capacity to live and love abundantly.
At Reform, we focus on five keys for effective reformation: awareness, consistency, patience, compassion, and trust. These keys are the virtues that empower us to make great strides towards becoming who we were created to be! Reformation is a cyclical process through all of five keys on our journey toward healing.
Awareness: Before we can change anything, we must cultivate awareness through space. We need to know the current state of our health in body, mind, and soul. We also need to recognize where our holes are, expose them, and dig to their roots. Ask yourself: What is essential for me to focus on right now? How is God calling me to reform?
Consistency: Once we have awareness of what needs to be reformed, we can begin to make changes, little by little. Consistency is our faithfulness in showing up, day in and day out, with a readiness to do God’s will and cooperate with Him in our transformation. He will reward our steadfastness. When we’re receptive to His grace, nothing is impossible!
The final three virtues for reformation go hand in hand, and we should apply them not only to ourselves, but also to God and others.
Patience: On our journey towards healing and reformation, our timing, the time it takes the body to heal, and God’s timing can be very different. We may want to grasp at control, but peace comes from honoring and surrendering to His plan. When we imitate Mary’s posture of openness, patience and surrender lead to new life.
Compassion: It’s taken years and many windy roads to get to your current state of health, so be gentle with yourself, others, and Christ as you heal and grow. Compassion allows us to release judgement and focus on the truth that in the eyes of God, we are beloved and worthy.
Trust: This virtue crowns them all! Trust yourself that you can heal and change; trust your body’s innate ability to do what it is designed to when you properly provide the tools; and most importantly, trust that Christ can heal you with even just ONE touch (and will!). He gives us the grace to reform and flourish completely – body, mind, and soul.
Change is constant in life and growth. At Reform, we use the journey of reformation to help us experience the challenges of change more fluidly. Little by little, moment by moment, day by day, we can make intentional choices that lead to new life for our whole person.
As this new year unfolds and we look forward to the holy possibilities ahead of us, we invite you to pause and reflect: How can you practice the five virtues on your own journey of reformation? Let’s begin with the end in mind, making space for the growth that God desires for us. Whatever the change the Lord is asking of us, may it be done to us according to His will in 2021, and always.