I will seek God for a changed heart before trying to change my circumstances.
Verse
Ezekiel 36:26
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Lord God, your kindness is beyond words. How do we thank you for being willing to take our hearts of stone and turn them into hearts of flesh? What a miracle of all miracles!
God, when you change a heart, you change a life and a legacy.
And when you, Lord, change a legacy, you change a generation.
God, we yield our hearts to you. Do your work in us and through us! Change what you must change in us, from the inside out.
In the Strong Name of Jesus, Amen.
We were nearing the end of a casual dinner on our patio, where the conversation went deep with our kids over the life we once led. Oh, how we miss boarding school community and rhythms, as much as we’re all learning to embrace the joys of this new one. The girls and my son were reflecting on how they were shaped by their experience and, interestingly enough, how it shaped our parenting approach. Through each story, there was a common thread of God using a particular person to infuse our hearts and minds with a character trait, ideal, or passion.
Are there people God has used in your life experience to shape you . . . and your heart?
Oh my, how the Lord used so many people to transform my stony heart to flesh. Maybe you know this part of my story, and wondering “why is she telling me this again?” Because my friend, it is still part of my story unfolding today. The journey and the fruit. The yielding and the waiting.
My heart was so full of junk, so hardened by wounds, but I had no idea. Now I know what it was like, but there are still parts to be unloaded.
Once I thought “this is just who I am” and who I’d always be. Is that how you feel?
Hard. Angry. Hurtful. Bitter. Unforgiving. Ashamed. Guilty.
That might have been who I once was, but the good news is that’s not who I am today. And that’s not who you have to be either. I have my moments of ugliness and flesh-ruling behavior, but it is no longer the norm.
The Lord entered deep into my hardened heart through truth-with-love words spoken by friends and mentors and most critically, my husband, at a time in which I was ready to hear what they had to say. They had already proven their love to me, which laid a foundation for them to speak truth to my soul. With the help of counseling, I began to unpack my stony heart, laying one offense after another before the Lord. He transformed the lies into truth and showed me how to continue that pattern as I began embracing biblically rooted attitudes and habits that lead to the kind of real life change I describe in Meet the New You . . . change that is also possible for you!
Yes, God turned my heart of stone to a heart full of His love, grace, kindness, and truth. In doing so, He changed my legacy. Over time. Over years. Day by day. Moment by moment. And it is a testimony of His work in me . . . a work He also wants to do in you.
It really is His miracle.
I pray you’ll be brave and say yes to the Lord’s transformation work in your heart, day by day, moment by moment. Because when we begin with yes to the Lord, we say yes to impacting the next generation for His glory.
How is the Lord inviting you to yield your heart to Him, so that He can turn it from stone to flesh?
To continue this journey of living brave and inviting the next generation to join you in the journey, get a copy of Brave Together: A Conversation Starter for Cultivating Biblical Mentoring Relationships.
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