The Abundant Life: Riches money can’t buy…
Those living the abundant life believe in the old adage that necessity is the mother of invention. However, they go one step further and realize that it can also be a time of reinvention. This ability to reinvent is a key element for those desiring to live an abundant life. To reinvent can mean to adapt, modify, alter, redesign, refocus, adjust, and transform.
Let’s say you work all your life at a company you love. They downsize or reorganize. Suddenly you are out of a job. No one even said, “Thank you for 40 years of faithful service.” You don’t even get the gold watch! Administrations change and the new one—the younger one does not even acknowledge who you are or what you’ve done for the company before they let you go or force you to retire.
Sure, you might want to have a little pity-party, but then you have to decide what to do with the rest of your life. This is a time to think about reinventing yourself which means refreshing or starting over again with a new perspective. Reinventing doesn’t mean doing everything the way you’ve always done it. It may require some change. Your core values remain the same, but updating your outlook and modus operandi might be necessary in an ever-changing world.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever but we live in society that requires us to constantly reinvent the way we do things because it is rapidly changing all the time. Sometimes change is forced upon us which is not necessarily bad. Not all jobs or even ministries are meant to last forever. They are temporary. Life is temporary. That doesn’t mean God is not in control. He just might not be controlling events the way we would like.
Sometimes life can be so burdensome that it’s hard not to get discouraged, but God tells us not to lose heart. Things may not appear to be going well, but when we rely on God we can be renewed inwardly, day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16) Renew means to make new again. God can help us reinvent ourselves so we can be productive Christians representing Him as we move forward to what He has planned.
The abundant life relies on God to get them through life changes and come out on the other side ready to go on. They’ve developed skills like resilience and self-care. They aren’t afraid to seek counseling and get support. The abundant life knows how to reinvent itself.
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“…I have come that they may have life and that they
may have it more abundantly.” ~John 10:10 (KJV)
