Have you ever been told or heard – “Happy New You?” How did it make you feel? Can a person really become a new being just by hearing or saying the words – “Happy New You?” Think about it. What do you think? How can we make this “Happy New You” meaningful?
You see, a person can become a new being, but he or she cannot become a new person on their own. It cannot work just by telling them those words or by them saying those words – “Happy New You”. It does not work that way. To become a new person, a change must first take place on the inside of that person. The person must have a new heart. The work must be done by God. God’s goal for our lives is for us to become like Jesus. God wants us to be like Jesus Christ. If we are unlike Christ we are living below our created potential. The more we allow God to change us the more we will enjoy His blessings. So, God wants us to follow Jesus and experience life to the full. God wants to make us new creatures. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
In Christ, we become new people – the old is gone, the new appears. This happens in Christ, that is, in relationship with Jesus, as we know Him, love Him, follow Him, and live in Him. The relationship with Him must come first – then the newness follows. When we accept and connect with God, it changes us! The Bible is filled with many stories of people who experienced such a change – they became new persons. The Old Testament story of Jacob wrestling with the angel of the Lord is an example. He came away with a permanent limp and a new name. Jacob was a different man. It was goodbye to Jacob the shyster and hello to Israel, the man who prevailed with God.
Another example can be found in the New Testament. Saul was hellbent on destroying Christians. Saul had an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus that literally knocked him on his knees and blinded him. He came away, a new man, totally transformed. It was goodbye to Saul the terrorist and hello to Paul the apostle.
We see another example of such radical change in the story of Zacchaeus the tax collector. In the eyes of his Jewish neighbours, Zacchaeus was a good-for-nothing thief and traitor, a despised man. As the chief tax collector for the Romans in the region of Jericho, Zacchaeus had become very rich. This most likely meant that he pocketed a good portion of his collections for himself, as he collected the taxes for the Romans who oppressed the Jews. Obviously, Zacchaeus would be considered a traitor to his own people. The Jews despised tax collectors to such a degree that they placed them in the same category as robbers and murderers, and all three were forbidden to enter the Jewish house of worship.
In the person of Zacchaeus, we get a strong sense of how radical it can be when someone allows Christ to enter his or her life and begin the process of making someone new! This rich tax collector, who had cheated so many people, listened to the words of Jesus, accepted the Lord’s desire to come to his house, and then allowed Christ’s Spirit to turn his world upside down. To the amazement and annoyance of the crowd, Jesus chose to go to the house of Zacchaeus and we see the beginnings of a radical change! Zacchaeus proclaims that he will give half his wealth away to the poor and will even repay anyone whom he has cheated four times what he took from them! Being renewed in Christ. Wow! If we want to see what a new life in Christ means, what this new creation does to a person, we just need to look at the example of Zacchaeus!
You see, to become a new person, there must be a change experience. There must be an intimate encounter with God himself. Change cannot happen without him. Change cannot happen to a person by them just saying the words – “Happy New You!” Don’t be deceived my friends – don’t let anyone fool you! For David to become a new person, he said in Psalms 51, create in me a clean heart oh God and renew a right spirit within me. David knew it calls for a new heart, and God’s spirit, to be in him for him to become a new person – and we must know that as well. It is a heart issue. We cannot stay the old way and become new persons. It does not work that way.
To become new people means losing what we now call ‘ourselves.’ Our natural self changed into a Christ-self. We must invite Jesus Christ to enter our lives and to be formed in us, and thus become mirrors of Christ. Such change implies something radical happening in us. It demands us to crucify our own egos, our egocentric ways, and live according to Christ. And such change continues throughout our life – it becomes a life-long transformation.
This new life in Christ may have what seems to be a sudden, obvious beginning, yet it continues changing every day, transforming us more and more into the likeness of Christ until our dying days. When we become new creatures, it is only then that we can fulfill the potential that God has placed in each one of us when He created us in His likeness. The Change that God offers begins with removing our sinful nature, and our past, then giving us a NEW PERSON or a NEW HEART from within us. God changes our hearts not just our behaviour. This change secures our Eternal life and provides material and spiritual blessings for us. Once God enters our lives the process of change begins.
The change that God has ordained for us can be painful because most of the time God breaks us in order to mould us into a person that He wants us to be. This change can hurt us because it removes us from our comfort zones. This change is necessary because it is the only way for us to enjoy God’s abundance for us. The productive life that God offers can include material blessing but the abundant life He gives can never be supplied or surpassed by material prosperity.
For us to become that new person, we first need to humble ourselves. We must have the humility to admit our weaknesses and accept the need to change. We must have a relationship with God. God wants us to have a love relationship with Him. He wants to give us a Christ-like character. God wants us to become a new person, more like Jesus. God also wants us to have healthy relationships with others. God wants us to serve him and others. He wants us to serve each other effectively, and for us to live meaningful lives.
You see, the whole thing starts with a relationship with God. As we know and love God, the first thing that changes is us—we become different persons, more like Jesus. Then as we change, our relationships with those around us are transformed. We become better people – spouses, parents, friends, employers, employees, and neighbours. When we have a relationship with God that transforms us and our relationships with people, we have something worth giving away, so God sends us into the world to serve. Our strength must come from God’s mighty power within us.
Remember: To reach up for the new, you must let go of the old. What lies behind you is not nearly as important as what lies in front of you. Don’t mistake a new place for a new you. Only God can change your heart and make you a new creature! So, cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right. Let “Happy New You be meaningful” in the months and years ahead.
About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in the Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only and has now published Positive Living Volume 3. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com. www.facebook.com/axawellnesscentre
