A Lenten Makeover

By Donna Winchell

 

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)

Have you ever thumbed through a magazine or watched a cable show about makeovers focused on changing you into the perfect person you need to be – the gorgeous “new you”?  Were you encouraged to get a new wardrobe, change your hairstyle, or go for a motoring-style makeover trading in that little old sedan for a luxury BMW or sporty Corvette?

Thinking about makeovers like this can be fun and sometimes helpful but fall short on the type of makeover we as Christians need to explore. Our perfect makeover is not complete without taking care of our inner self and our relationship with God. Lent is a special, though hardly exclusive, time for a makeover; a time of spiritual renewal and restoration that can foster change in all of us; a time to become something “new”; a time to become better, to become more like Him.

Lenten disciplines of self-denial, giving, studying, meditation & intense prayer provide ways to manage our makeover by growing closer to God as we try to improve how we interact with Him and with each other. And every spiritual renewal should also include an assessment to be able to discern what is working in our lives at this time and what isn’t. God has given us many commands in the Bible on exactly what His will is for us, such as – Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John14:27)  – Rejoice always, pray continually give thanks always (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) –  Do Good  (1 Peter 2:15) – Don’t Gossip (Ephesians 4:29) – Be honest (Colossians 3:9) – Be generous (Luke 12:33) – Judge not, that you be not judged (Matthew 7:1) ­– Help others (Philippians 2:4).

God’s do and don’t commands are very helpful in assessing what may need to be changed during our makeover. Ask our Heavenly Father to show areas in your life that may be counter to His will –Place Your Life Before God – “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (Romans 12:2, MSG).

God is there to support our makeovers so that His glory can transcend through us. This Lenten season is almost over, but there is still time to seek God’s forgiveness, to open our hearts to His love and to nourish our souls with His word – to work on our spiritual makeover; so that on Easter Sunday, we can ask ourselves – how am I different, am I better, am I more like our Almighty Lord?

I have included a link to a simple Lenten Prayer for Spiritual Renewal. May God bless each of you today.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzalIav_Nq0