Reinvent Yourself

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” –Isaiah 43:18-19

          I remember one of my favorite things to do when I was a child was to go out with my family to rent a couple of movies from Blockbuster. It was great except for the fact that we had to return the movies within a few days. It was like a library but for movies.

          Nobody talks about Blockbuster today. Do you know why? Because Blockbuster did not anticipate the changes in culture and reinvent themselves to keep up. Netflix came along giving customers the ability to rent movies and have them delivered to their home. RedBox came along giving customers the convenience of renting movies from a kiosk at the local gas station, grocery story, or pharmacy. Blockbuster had become obsolete and went bankrupt.

          We tend to think that because the way we did things in the past means they will work just fine in the season of life we find ourselves in today. That is not necessarily true. That was then, this is now. What got you to where you are, won’t necessarily get you to the next step. Life is always changing, and likewise we have to make changes so that we are equipped and ready for whatever season of life we find ourselves in. Let me give you an example from scripture.

          During their journey to the Promise Land, the Israelites found food by eating Manna off the desert floor. When they entered the Promise Land however, the Manna stopped and the Israelites were to instead of bending on their knees to pick Manna off the floor, would now stand on their feet and reach up to pick fruit from the trees of the land. The Israelites were entering into a new season of life, and would therefore need to reinvent the way they did life.

          Perhaps you find yourself in a new season of life. Don’t rely on the methods that prevailed in the glory days or on what got you out of the last situation you found yourself in. You will have to learn how to change and do things differently in this new season you’re about to enter.

          The world is different, society is different, culture is different, the economy is different, technology is different, YOU are different. What got you to where you are today may not necessarily get you to tomorrow. What set you apart and caused you to succeed in the workplace in the past may not help you today. Things have changed.

          How you managed your money years ago, may not get you the same results today. The economy has changed. Study habits that helped you excel may not make any difference today. Education is changing. The way you formed meaningful relationships last time may not connect with people this time. Social media has changed the way people relate and connect. The way you have been doing things won’t work forever. If you don’t believe me, just ask Blockbuster…

Take Another Lap

Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.” –Joshua 6:2-5

          You have to appreciate the faith of Joshua during this moment of his life. Imagine him standing outside the mighty walls of Jericho with the army of Israel standing behind him. Surely the task of bringing these walls down must have been somewhat intimidating at first. But Joshua pressed on.

          Joshua and the Israelites marched around those walls once a day for six days. Then on the seventh day, they marched around it six times. It wasn’t until they lifted up a shout on the seventh lap on the seventh day that the walls came tumbling down. Imagine what must have been going through Joshua’s head towards the end of that sixth lap on that seventh day.

          He and the army behind him had been around that wall almost a dozen times, yet still there was no sign of breakthrough. I wonder if Joshua’s faith was tested. I like to imagine that as Joshua began that seventh lap, he stirred up his faith more than ever before. I imagine that during that moment when it seemed like there was no breakthrough, no change, Joshua remembered all he had seen God do while Moses was still alive.

          I imagine that he remembered how Moses stood up to an unyielding hard hearted Pharaoh, and God brought him to his knees setting the Israelites free after 400 years of slavery. I imagine Joshua remembered how when the Israelites were panicking in the desert over not having any food, how God made manna appear on the desert floor. I imagine Joshua remembered how when the Israelites were trapped between the Red Sea and the fast approaching armies of Pharaoh, he saw God Himself fight for the Israelites by splitting the Red Sea giving the Israelites dry ground to cross over to safety.

          I imagine that as Joshua remembered all these mighty acts of God, his faith was stirred to believe that God could do the impossible just one more time, and that’s when he decided to take another lap. And on that last lap, he told the Israelites to lift up a shout and the walls of Jericho finally fell.

          To Joshua and the Israelites the Walls of Jericho represented the barrier that stood in between them and the Promise Land, their destiny. Perhaps today you find yourself staring at a wall that separates you from the calling God has put on your life. If you find yourself around this “wall” in your life again, don’t get discouraged. Take another lap. You are right on the edge of your breakthrough. Remember how God moved mightily in the past. If He did it before, He can do it again. Stir up your faith just like Joshua did, and take another lap. This wall is about to fall.