Everybody loves a before and after. On HGTV, when they show the crappy fixer-upper side by side with the images of the shiny new updated version; on Throw Back Thursday, when everybody posts little babies, side by side of those babies now grown up; on the romantic comedies, when they make over the nerdy girl with glasses into the trendy hot girl: all gold. I love it cause it time lapse the long process that it takes to get to the end product. I also love it because even when you know change is happening, until you see it right next to the old stuff, it is hard to remember what things were like.
This season of my life, I have been enjoying amazing before and afters. Having lost 63 pounds, that contrast is vast and satisfying. It is so much of what helps me with my coaching, people see me and want to know, What I am doing? How did I get healthy? What is the difference? The change is so visible, so clear. It is motivating for me, inspiring to those around me, and moves me towards being able to help people who need change.
This morning, during my Bible Study we were talking about spiritual growth, how far God has brought us and how sometimes it is hard to see just how far we have come. We don't often have that clear before image to hold up next to us and see, "wow, I have really made progress." People I run into out and about can't see how God has moved me toward less selfishness and more patience. My friends can't always see how much more I trust God than I did before; they can't see how I have moved towards wisdom and surrender. Even more frustrating, I can't always see what growth the people around me are experiencing. Obviously, growth results in fruit that can be evidenced in our lives, but not in same way as 60 less pounds looks in my Instagram posts. I know the people in my life are leaning in towards God and He is changing their lives- that's my king, it is what he does. I know that healing and growth are increasing, I know addictions and captivity are decreasing. I want to be able to celebrate this kind of change with the same zeal that I get surrounding a physical change. Because these are the changes that are lasting. This is the eternal. This morning, the sermon was around what kind of a difference Jesus has made in your life. What is our life like now that we have encountered Him?
So here is my idea:
I would love to do a Spiritual Before and After Project. Now we all know, that even the home improvement "before and after pictures" are actually "before and during pictures." We are in process. We are in spiritual process, we are in physical process. We aren't done yet. But we have had growth. There have been changes. Here is my encouragement: sit and think about what difference has God made in your life? What is your before? How has he transformed you? I'll go first:
Before:
lack of faith
trying to do things on my own
limited to emotional connections with God
beliefs based on my upbringing
selfishness- only seeking my own way
During:
relying on what I know to be true: God is who he says he is, and will do what He says He will do
Trusting that God knows better
Adding roots of character and tested faith to overcome the non-emotional times
Seeking out God as my own savior
pushing towards connecting to God in a way that keeps my eyes off myself
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