“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”– Psalm 51:10
I was recently waiting in line at the grocery store.
A gray-haired heavy-set woman with a pink shirt and purple see-through visor on her head was ahead of me. She turned and asked if I’d been to a certain restaurant in town. I said yes, and she said she liked the chocolate cake there and had it for her birthday. I told her I had not eaten it before. She replied that her birthday was in October, but she had recently had the cake. A look of sadness crossed her face and she described how her chiropractor had died recently (thus the trip to have cake, to cheer her up) and he was in his forties and ate well, did everything right, but was found with a 90% blockage in an artery that killed him.
As I wondered why she was telling me all of this, she checked out and went outside. I saw her again in the parking lot. This time she was looking around for her car. She saw me and started talking about the chiropractor again and shared how she just couldn’t stop crying these days. She then remembered that she had walked to the store, and the reason why was because of him. He had been helping her with weight loss and she started walking in honor of him, and him alone. We parted ways, and as I left the parking lot a few minutes later, I saw her bright shirt and visor heading down the sidewalk.
This little slice of conversation has stuck with me. The thought that crossed my mind was “she changed her lifestyle for him.” He meant so much to her and had been so helpful to her that she changed her ways. Perhaps it was also to lose weight. Perhaps it was to get healthier. I don’t know. But it got me thinking….what gets me to change things in my life? Often a circumstance, a person, a thought…something motivates us to make a change.
And I wondered on a spiritual level…am I willing to make changes to grow in my relationship with God? Jesus is my Savior and means so much to me….will I make changes to honor Him and grow in my relationship with Him?
How about you?
I want the resolve of the lady with the purple visor. I want the resolve to both desire change and move forward with it. For God. Change is hard. It means dying to self and opening up to things that will challenge me. Things I may not like right away. But He gives me the strength and grace to do it.
What change can you make today to grow closer to God? He invites us and says “Come.” He died for us. Let’s live for Him!
Prayer– “God, change is hard for me. I get stuck in my old comfortable ways. Change means getting out of the ruts and moving forward for You. Give me the vision and desire to make necessary changes in my life so I can live for You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
Prayer For All Days 