reorient:
to change the focus or direction of
to adjust or align something in a new or different way
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I was on the phone with my best friend a couple of weeks ago, sharing with her how tired, frustrated, and annoyed I've been with motherhood these days. I'd hoped that a trip out-of-town with just Jeramie, Ethan, and me would give us the break and "fresh start" we were all desperate for, but Ethan proved to be even more difficult once he was out of the routines of our home.
"We just need a reset," I told her, with a few ideas already implemented, but not much energy left for figuring out the rest.
That following Sunday, our pastor was wrapping up a sermon series on the book of Job. Job has always intrigued me, especially after Jeramie and I took a hard look at our relationship with the Lord a few years ago. Our pastor made a few excellent observations that day, but my heart jumped when I heard him use the word "reorient".
To paraphrase part of his sermon: God used Job's suffering to turn a good man into a better man. He reoriented Job's heart and, in the midst of terrible circumstances and suffering, Job learned to praise the Lord.
Did y'all catch that? God reoriented Job's heart! He didn't just push some heavenly reset button, letting Job start all over on the same path, only to end up in the same prideful, arrogant place. God changed the direction of Job's attitude. He took Job from someone who justified himself rather than God, to someone who repented of his ignorance and prayed for the friends who brought him more suffering than comfort.
That Sunday, I was convicted that what our family really needed was to be reoriented, not reset, and that we could only do that by focusing on Jesus. We needed to remove distractions, quiet our hearts, and seek his wisdom.
I wish I could tell you that our days have been filled with nothing but love and peace since the conversation with my friend and that Sunday's sermon, but I can't. We're still struggling, but God is still working; we do not lose hope.
It is not a coincidence that all of this lines up with the Advent season. We are looking forward to celebrating Jesus' birth, and all the moments leading up to it, as well as the promise of salvation that comes with such an extraordinary gift. We wait in expectation of what God will do as we focus on him, lay our burdens at his feet, and ask him to align our hearts with his.
To paraphrase part of his sermon: God used Job's suffering to turn a good man into a better man. He reoriented Job's heart and, in the midst of terrible circumstances and suffering, Job learned to praise the Lord.
Did y'all catch that? God reoriented Job's heart! He didn't just push some heavenly reset button, letting Job start all over on the same path, only to end up in the same prideful, arrogant place. God changed the direction of Job's attitude. He took Job from someone who justified himself rather than God, to someone who repented of his ignorance and prayed for the friends who brought him more suffering than comfort.
That Sunday, I was convicted that what our family really needed was to be reoriented, not reset, and that we could only do that by focusing on Jesus. We needed to remove distractions, quiet our hearts, and seek his wisdom.
I wish I could tell you that our days have been filled with nothing but love and peace since the conversation with my friend and that Sunday's sermon, but I can't. We're still struggling, but God is still working; we do not lose hope.
It is not a coincidence that all of this lines up with the Advent season. We are looking forward to celebrating Jesus' birth, and all the moments leading up to it, as well as the promise of salvation that comes with such an extraordinary gift. We wait in expectation of what God will do as we focus on him, lay our burdens at his feet, and ask him to align our hearts with his.
