“You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead you need someone to teach you again the basics … like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. … Solid food is for the mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.” (Hebrews 5:12-14 NLT)
Here’s a truth:
the person you have been is not the person you will remain.
The person you have been and the person you currently are — these are not the person you will be. You will evolve (small “e”) — you will adapt and grow and change — perhaps for the better, perhaps for the worse. And the things that you habitually practice, whether consciously or unconsciously, will make all the difference.
This is true physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We can train our bodies, for example, in ways that makes us stronger, more flexible, with greater functionality and with more endurance … or we can neglect our physical bodies and grow weaker, more stiff, less functional and with less endurance. You choose.
And the same is true with our minds and hearts and souls. We can incorporate practices that grow us toward who we want to be and who God wants us to be … or we can kick back and let the culture or those around us to shape and mold us as they see fit. You choose.
So as we look toward the season of Birth … and the New Year ritual of rebirth … consider this:
The person you have been is not the person you will remain.
This is both a challenge and a gift. Accept and embrace both.
