Valentine's Day, part 1

Hey Jesus Girls!

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, the holiday my thirteen-year-old officially dubbed the “stupidest holiday EVER!” Now, I don’t normally allow the “stupid” word to be part of her vocabulary, but I have shared this same thought many times in my life. Funny thing, I know more married women who dread the holiday than young women. Somehow our expectations don’t make it into reality. Can I hear an amen from my girls?

So what is Jesus girl to do? How do we deal with the disappointments that want to steal our joy, our peace, our contentment.

Don’t wallow in the “if only’s” or “I wishes.” We need to grab some Truth, God’s Truth, and allow it to soothe our broken expectations and hearts.

Here’s what God gave me last night. 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 reads, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

First, let’s take this apart of bit. These verses begin with the word, “therefore”. This basically means, because of what I already stated. Whenever you see that word, go back and read the verses that came before so you will understand what the author is referring to. In this case, the apostle Paul is talking about how we have the glory of God living inside our jars of clay (literally in cracked pots.) Ponder that for a moment. We have the glory of God residing inside of our hearts. We don’t have to go to a temple somewhere to feel His Presence; He is living inside of us!

Now look at the next part. Because we have the glory of God living within us, “we do not lose heart.” In the Greek this means to be utterly spiritless, completely exhausted, weary beyond explanation. We aren’t talking about the kind of tired that requires a mental health day. We’re talking about the funk that comes over us, causing us to not want to get out of bed—ever.
Before I touch on that, let’s keep reading.

“Though outwardly we are wasting away,” (does anyone else’s mirror remind them of this daily??), “yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” Our spirits, the part of us that is reborn at salvation, is being renewed every day.

In the Greek, this means to mature, to make new, to be changed into a new kind of life as opposed to the former corrupt state. Those girls who have been a part of my Bible study should write in the margin of your Bible the word “zoe”! As our outer body continues to age and wrinkle and shift, our inner person continues to mature into the zoe, the greater life, that Jesus promised His followers. How is this possible? Because His glory lives within us, enabling us to look beyond our circumstances, and to rely on His power.

Look at Isaiah 40:29-31, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Another phrase for “hope in the Lord” is to wait expectantly, to trust completely and confidently, to bind together. Our strength is renewed as we bind ourselves to the Truth of His Word, and trust Him confidently and completely. To me, binding means to read the Word, speak the Word, write it out and memorize it—make it a natural part of your daily life. That is how we renew our spirits, through the Truth of God.

Let these scriptures soothe your spirit and remind you that God wants to renew you, not just on the days when you feel spent, but every day!

Be blessed by His Truth. We’ll continue the rest tomorrow.

In pursuit of zoe,