Becoming New
All Things Shall Become New
“Old things are done away, and all things have become new.” ~ 3 Nephi 12:47
“Become the people God intended for us to become”
~ Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Happy Easter! As you celebrate Easter, I hope you remember Christ and His loving sacrifices that frees us from our sins and weaknesses. It is a special day that it brings with it the opportunity to embrace a renewal of life ... Easter reminds us of the most incredible day that changed everything!
Christ’s atonement and resurrection is like a Spring morning ... it is a celebration of a renewal of life ... our life. Easter reminds us of how beautiful change can truly be as we bloom, change and become! We can become a masterpiece through Christ’s love and sacrifice. Easter is a hope that inspires change, it is also a celebration of blooms, new life, color and the warmth of the sun. It’s an awakening to the newness of all things in nature, a healing and an overcoming of that which has become old and broken.
Last month we learned that if we are not aware, or don’t take the required steps to overcome our weaknesses and negative behaviors, we can shrink under the weight of those imperfections. Don’t allow this to happen! We all know that we can’t become what we want to become by remaining where we are ... doing what we’ve always done. So we want to take steps to change and to transform into something new, something beautiful.
A great first step is to visualize or see yourself being refined and cleansed of the imperfections that we know lie within. This step will plant a seed of hope and great desire for Christ to do His mighty work ... a work of purifying and of making us new ... freeing us to embrace a new beginning; a new life!
Most of us know that Christ’s mighty work is to bring our souls to Him perfected, clean and whole. All of us need the Atonement of the Savior to heal us and make us a new creature. He provided the perfect example of how to live in an imperfect and chaotic world and become the people God intended for us to become.
“ And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds,
tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state,
to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;”
Mosiah 27:25
It may seem crazy, but we actually become a new life or a new creature by forgetting about ourselves and engaging in a greater more glorious purpose than the lives we have been engaged in. By engaging in Christ’s more glorious purpose, we will see that everything has changed and that we have become MORE than we have ever been!
I find it exciting to know that God is preparing us for something great! To become that person He has in mind, we would do well to turn to the Lord for a mighty change of heart. When we believe in Christ with all our souls and overcome the world, we will be filled with exceedingly great joy! Our faith in Christ will lift us through our darkness, our pride, our inadequacies, our heaviness, our invisibility and our brokenness. With Christ walking by our side, we can begin a new life and find the joy and happiness that we are seeking.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtcorf encourages us with this direction, “ It is the love of God that rescues, restores, and revives....This very day - every day - He reaches out to you, desiring to heal you, to lift you up, and to replace the emptiness in your heart with an abiding joy. He desires to sweep away any darkness that clouds your life and fill it with the sacred and brilliant light of His unending glory.”
Like springtime, Christ makes all things new. Because of Him, we can spring clean our lives daily and experience personal growth, our Overcoming brings us to our Becoming. When we willingly give Him our weakness, He willingly empowers us with His strength.
“Today we celebrate the gift of victory over every fall we have ever experienced.”
~ Jeffrey R. Holland
Our ultimate becoming is to become like our Savior, Jesus Christ. In my March Blog, I talked about doing good for others ... doing good with small and simple acts of kindness ... this is the practice of giving of ourselves as Christ did and blessing others as He did. There are many opportunities for us to create a new and glorious life by making more divinely, inspired choices. Become better, Become happier, Become holier!
“Come, help us build and strengthen a culture of healing, kindness, and mercy toward all of God’s children. For we are all striving to become new creatures where ‘old things are passed away’ and ‘all things...become new.’
The Savior shows us the direction to move - forward and upward. He says, ‘If ye love me keep my commandments.’ Let us all work together to become the people God intended for us to become.”
~ Elder Dieter f. Uchtdorf
Spring is God’s way of saying there is hope ... and Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal and a new life ... a Becoming. Because of His wounds, we can be healed and transform into the person that we were meant to be!
Ponder this question for a bit: Who does the Lord want you to become? Now take the steps!
Watercolor Painting ~ Joy in New Beginnings
My Watercolor painting this month is for Easter and that Christ has brought us ‘New Beginnings’
I love Spring and the anticipation of the new growth that pokes it’s head through the rich soil. It’s an enchanting, joyous time for me because the world has had time to heal from winters hardships and is ‘Becoming’ beautiful again!
And suddenly you just know it’s time to start something new
and trust in the magic of new beginnings and Becomings!
I give my thanks to my Heavenly Father for you and all the joys and ‘New Beginnings’ and ‘Becomings’ that are mine ... Because He lives!
May you know the joy of His resurrection,
the abundance of His life,
the peace of His presence,
the wonder of His love.
Happy Easter!
Good News! A new beginning for us this month is that we have designed our website to the point that you can now make purchases of my watercolor paintings! It’s been a long time coming and we are excited! This is the very first time that I have made available any of my 11x14 originals to be sold Online! We also have available in our ‘Marketplace’ a professional print, on watercolor paper, for you to enjoy in your home, pick a size that suits your space. You guys are such a blessing to me!! Thank You!!
Love to all, Jeannie
