Celebrate An Epiphany

     To “have an epiphany,” by definition, is to “have a manifestation” --  or striking indication of something dramatic.  I heard a the story of a doctor who describes his career as a “series of epiphanies.”  These striking indicators caused him to make specific changes in his life and career.

    

    The Bible tells of the Wise Men who had an epiphany about the Infant Jesus.  The Shepherd’s in the fields, did as well.  These dramatic indicators led them to change their set pattern of their normal routine, and ultimately the way they looked at life.

As a quilter, I’m often amazed at how different a quilt can look when you change one shape, change colors or rearrange the pieces in a block.  With each change, there is the potential to make a whole new quilt!  The possibilities are endless—when you see it, it’s kind of like having an “epiphany!”

This same principle can be applied to our lives.  When we change a bad habit for a good one, we’ve changed a “shape.”   When we change a sinful lifestyle to a Christian lifestyle, we’ve changed a “color.”  When we fellowship with Christians instead of those who would lead us down a sinful road, we have “rearranged the pieces” in the block.  The sum total of all these changes creates a “new person” in Christ.

We are told not to conform to the patterns of the world but to be transformed.  This transformation may take time.  With the “renewing of our minds” through reading God’s word, the transformation comes in each of us, just as the quilt changes when we change colors and rearrange pieces of the block.  Our potential for possibilities becomes endless!  

As the new year dawns, many of us create “New Year’s Resolutions.” Often, however, our goals are so dramatic we learn almost instantly (sometimes it takes a whole week!)  it’s not going to happen.  We immediately reach for the leftover snacks from the holidays, (waste not, want not. Right?) or we realize getting up an hour earlier is impossible given our hectic schedule or even in our very specific business worlds huge, dynamic changes (like promising myself I’ll write 1,000 words on any specific project every day) are just impossible to find follow through. 

The best way to make changes is a little at a time.  It’s like eating a slice (or bite) of pie rather than eating the whole thing in one sitting!  By creating a plan of “pieces” instead of “entirety” our goals are much easier to accomplish!  Instead of dieting through starvation or eliminating all snacks we know we’re going to eat, choose to eat half.  Instead of rising an hour early to exercise, arise only ten minutes early.  Rather than promising to write 1,000 words on any given project every day, choose to reach 500 words.  Each of these goals are much more manageable.  We can then increase the increments as we adjust to our now “new normal.”

As you reflect on the changes you might want to make in 2024, I encourage you to include an “Epiphany” in your spiritual life, recognizing God as the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe and ultimately your life.  Choose to read three to five verses of scripture every morning.  Choose to stop and pray for three to five minutes, and increase these (and others you choose) by a small increments over a period of time and allow your faith to grow.   

Happy New Year, Everyone!