Category Archives: Change

Eavesdropping on Someone’s Dream – God’s Story and our Narrative in 2017

28 Wednesday Dec 2016

Posted by in 2017, Bible, Change, Christ, Decisions, Faith, Gideon, God, Hong Kong, Overcoming Rejection

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Dreams & Flashbacks

Dreams and Flashbacks are interesting narrative techniques…they are used in literature and film to provide insight into a character’s past, to open a window into their psychology and sometimes even to foreshadow events in their future.  When a book or a movie utilize these techniques, I am all in…bonus points if they come right at the beginning of the story.

A couple of my favorite examples in film and literature are the following:

  1. G.G Marquez’ One Hundred Years of Solitude (Flashback Ch 1):                                              “MANY YEARS LATER as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. At that time Macondo was a village of twenty adobe houses, built on the bank of a river of clear water that ran along a bed of polished stones, which were white and enormous, like prehistoric eggs. The world was so recent that many things lacked names, and in order to indicate them it was necessary to point.”
  2. D. DuMaurier’s Rebecca (Dream Ch 1):                                                                                      “Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me that I was passing through the iron gates that led to the driveway. The drive was just a narrow track now, its stony surface covered with grass and weeds. Sometimes, when I thought I had lost it, it would appear again, beneath a fallen tree or beyond a muddy pool formed by the winter rains. The trees had thrown out new low branches which stretched across my way. I came to the house suddenly, and stood there with my heart beating fast and tears filling my eyes.”
  3. F. W. Murnau’s Der Letzte Mann (Dream/Flashback Sequence) – also called a “psychological dream” – a mix between a dream and a flashback…where we see the main character reminiscing and idealizing his past abilities and role as a hotel portier (Credit to Ted Sakowsky’s youtube channel).

Personally, I always like to listen to dreams…they are fun, creative, symbolic, and meaningful.

Recently the business insider published the excerpt of a book that detailed common themes in people’s dreams; among the most frequent dreams reported by people are 1. flying, 2.trying to find a bathroom, 3. having teeth fall of, and 4. being late, or unprepared for an exam.

In the bible, there are several occasions in which God uses dreams to speak to people.

1. In the book of Genesis we see how God uses dreams to show Joseph, the son of Jacob a glimpse of his future role as the leader of his family.  Later this gifting propels him to becoming one of the most powerful men in Egypt and through his leadership God saved the nation of Egypt, the nation of Israel, and Joseph’s brothers and father from famine.

2. During the period of Babylonian occupation of Israel, God gave Daniel – a young man who had been brought to serve in the Babylonian court – the ability to tell the king what he dreamed about and the interpretation of that dream.  This made the Babylonian king take notice of Daniel’s wisdom and understand that God was with Daniel in a special way.

3. In the New Testament God speaks to Joseph through a dream to let him know that Mary’s baby was truly conceived through the Holy Spirit..and later after Jesus was born God uses a dream to warn the three wise men about Herod’s intentions to towards Jesus (not to worship but to harm him).

I could go on an on about how God uses dreams in the lives of his children; Jacob, Paul, Solomon…

Common themes of how God uses dreams in the Bible

Just like authors have identified common themes in people’s dreams in everyday life, in the bible, we also see common themes in how God uses dreams: he uses dreams to warn people about future events, encourage and reassure people in times of uncertainty, and he also uses them to help his people understand and pursue the calling that he has for them.

An interesting example is shown in Gideon’s story  (Judges 7:12-14)

Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.
And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, “I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.”
Then his companion answered and said, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp.”

This bible passage narrates how two men  Gideon and his servant Purah had sneaked into the camp of the enemy army that they were at war with.. the night before the big battle…and when they arrived at the encampment of the enemy army, they overheard a conversation between two other men..soldiers in the enemy army.  Of the soldiers told another one a weird dream that he had.  He said that in his dream…he saw a loaf of barley bread come downhill into the camp…and overturned a tent…and it collapsed.

In this story…even though Gideon was not the one who had the dream, nor was he the one who interpreted the dream, God used this dream to affirm Gideon in his calling to lead the army of Israel into victory against the Midianites…because it so happened that the dream came true; the next day Gideon and 300 Israelites came against the army of Midian and defeated them.

But before we move from this point to the future, I would like to go back in time and look at the initial information that the bible provides about Gideon’s background, because that will help us see the significance of the dream in full context…and the bible provides this information in Judges 6:2-6:
 

Flashback on Gideon’s life

Gideon was born during a time in which the people of Israel were experiencing opposition from other tribes in the region, namely the Midianites, and their allies the Amalekites.  
The Amalekites were more numerous and their strategy was to sabotage and block every activity that the Israelites did in order to sustain themselves. The insidious tactics of the midianites brought Israel to a state of poverty and despair in which they felt that they had been collectively rejected by God…(see Judges 6)

Not only was Gideon part of this group that felt rejected…he was a reject among the them…And in the midst of this, he experiences God’s calling…which is not compatible at all with how Gideon identifies as an individual, in his family, in his community and in the larger context.  Nowadays the feeling of rejection both at the societal and individual level is as prevalent as it was for Guideon and Israel during the time of Midianite occupation. This rejection is covertly or overtly exercised by denying access to a sense of adequacy and/or belonging to an individual or a group.

Gideon is a person who has experienced rejection at multiple levels and in multiple stages of his life, and many of us are no strangers to this feeling.

From the passage, it is clear that as Gideon was brought up, there was a message that was communicated to him by his family that he was the least among them…
By his community, that his family/clan was the least in the community
and the bible states clearly that the Amalekites and Midianites were bullying Israel…

So when Gideon is confronted with God’s calling, there is a conflict between what he has heard about himself all his life and who he and who God is calling him to be…and this gap/chasm is expressed in feelings of inadequacy and hesitation to believe what God says about him.

People deal with rejection differently, however we can a common threads in how rejection operates in our lives: Rejection occurs in two dimensions: externally and internally and it shapes our narrative of who we are…however, when we hear God’s calling, there is an underlying narrative of acceptance, love and support that empowers us to live our life differently.

The Process of overcoming rejection and accepting God’s narrative for our life seems to highlight key stages;

1. The Sign of the Fleece (Judges 7:36-40)

36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37 behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” 38 And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” 40 And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.

The sign of the fleece represents an initial ‘awakening’ into a new understanding of ourselves and our circumstances.  It has three characteristics:
1. Private
2. Gradual
3. Involving a Lamb (Jesus in the bible is referred as the Lamb of God)


2. The sign of the right inner circle – Gideon’s Three Hundred Men (Judges 8)

7 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.
4 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. 7 And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” 8 So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

The sign of the inner circle represents an initial evidence of who we are by those who are around us and have known us through our previous circumstances.  It has three characteristics:
1. Small Scale
2. Grass Roots
3. Involving a new confidence – not a false self-confidence but genuine confidence the calling that we have and God’s faithfulness to see us through

3. The sign of those who are outside of our ‘inner circle’ – Gideon defeats Midian (Judges 8:15)

15 As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.” 16 And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. 17 And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”

19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. 20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled. 22 When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army.

The sign of those outside our inner circle represents an external confirmation of how our life has moved from the past rejection to living out the narrative of God’s love in our life.  It has three characteristics:
1. Likely occurs in a new context for us
2. Moves past the grass roots to a less immediate circle
3. Affirms our new identity and removes us from our past experience of rejection

 

As we flashback to 2016, may we tune our ears to listen to God’s dreams for our lives, and start 2017 moving past those experiences that hold us back and continuously reaching out for God’s narrative of love and acceptance in this new year.



Goodbye New Year Tree….

30 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in Chai, Change, Faith, Hong Kong, Starbucks, Void

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Today, I went to Starbucks for my customary Iced-Chai.  I know it’s banal, but going to Starbucks is one of the highlights of my week…it makes me feel special. I know it sounds weird…but before you judge me, let me explain;


I am a creature of habit…and as such, I usually shop at the same stores, eat at the same restaurants, and go to the same coffee shops every time.  When I visit my regular spots, I tend to follow a routine, I order the same things over and over again…I never get tired of them (my husband will probably attribute this to my stubborn nature, but I would like a second oppinion).


Starbucks is a prime example of my routine-following ways; I order the same drink every time, Iced-Chai…always.  No exception – not ever.  I have been going to the same Starbucks for two years now.  Nowadays, the baristas know me by name, and they don’t even ask me for my order anymore, they know what I am going to drink…and when they see me walking towards the counter, they start preparing my drink, they greet me with a smile, take the money, and hand me my Iced-Venti Tazo Chai Tea Latte.


I particularly enjoy this routine, it makes my life easier, comfortable and as we all know: “sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, and they are always glad you came”…sorry, I couldn’t help the Cheers reference.  (For all my friends who are either too young, or who weren’t raised by the T.V; Cheers is an 80s SITCOM … and the quote is from the theme song of the show).


My problem with Change (I don’t mean coins)
Anyway, as a routine-loving person, I tend to dislike change; once I get used to something, I never want to get un-used to it. At this point I would like to clarify something; I am not a hoarder, or a person who prefers stagnation over progress…I am all for changing things for the better, this is not the change I dislike.  The change I dislike is the one that involves replacing that which is predictable, with the unpredictable.  I think I am not alone in this, a lot of people -whether it is consciously or unconsciously- dislike and even avoid this kind of change.


When Change leaves a Void
Why do so many people -myself included- find this kind of change intimidating?  Based on experience and observations, it seems to me that the reason why this change is especially intimidating is because it leaves a void behind.  When we are used to something/or even someone (the way I am used to my routine, or some people are used to a person or a habit in their lives) it means that we like the place that it /(s)he holds in our lives…it/(s)he fills a need, it/(s)he fills a space, that otherwise would be empty…void.


I think this is true even for people who claim to love change…in a way, their love for change is a constant in their lives…this constant change means that they are always facing the thrill of the unknown…and this fills their life with anticipation and excitement…in absence of this constant change, there would be a void, there would be emptiness…and most of us tend to avoid that facing that void (no pun intended).


Why we need to rethink our void-avoidance
According to the online dictionary, the word “void” can be defined in various ways, for example; “containing no matter”, “empty”, “completely lacking”, “useless”, “unfilled”, and “not occupied”.  I have more or less kept the order of appearance of all the definitions in order to make a point.  When we think of void, we first tend to think of words such as emptiness, uselessness, and lacking…and those words carry negative connotations for us…they evoke a sense of loss and helplessness.


However, a void is not always negative; if we look at it as the state of being “not-occupied”, the notion of void suddenly seems to have the potential of something positive…and indeed it does.



The potential of a void
I remember a conversation at a dinner party with some friends a while ago, we were asking each other “hard questions”…and one of my friends was asked the following question: “If you could change something about yourself, what would it be?”  My friend answered the following:  “If I could change something about myself, I would have stopped pursuing some things in my life sooner rather than later”.   

This answer steered the conversation in a very interesting direction, we talked about how sometimes we fail to let go of something in our lives…and in the process of holding on, we probably miss out on other opportunities, wasting time, energy, and resources.  We avoid necessary changes, just because we do not want to face “not having something”to fill the space.  Basically, the fear of letting go, the fear of change, is the fear of having a void in our life.  We think that having a void in our life equals that we will be “lacking” something…This understanding prevents us from creating a place (un-occuping the space) for something that might ultimately be better for us.  Had we  embraced the void, had we un-occupied the space, we would’ve created a place for that which was better for us sooner, rather than later. 

Buds’n’Roses
Another example of how voids are viewed from a negative perspective is the notion of “ending”.  An ending is a change that leaves a void, or emptiness.  Nothing comes after the end, right?  

Dr. Henry Cloud wrote a book titled “Necessary Endings“, in it he talks about the notion of pruning…of how roses need to be pruned, because they produce more buds that they can sustain…thus, if a gardener wants his roses to blossom, some buds need to be pruned in order for other buds to blossom.  In our lives, we face similar decisions, we need to face some changes that leave voids…however those voids are not negative, they are necessary because those voids create the conditions for other aspects of our life to blossom. 


Facing Christian faith seems sometimes like facing a Void
In many ways, faith is like a void. Not the negative, one-sided notion of void…but the real notion of void.  

From what I have come to understand, a void has two aspects; 
1) The absence of that which should ordinarily fill a space, and 
2) the potential for what could take its place. 

In Hebrews 11:1, the bible defines faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”.  

Faith calls us to create a place for something that is not there yet…it calls us to hope, to embrace the potential of what is to come through Jesus.  If we have a wrong understanding of what faith is, we will avoid it…like we try to avoid the voids in life…however, if we could re-examine our notion of faith, taking a closer look, and seeking a better understanding, perhaps we wouldn’t avoid it, and we could even embrace it.

Today I went to Starbucks for my customary Iced-Chai.  For the last month, there has been a little tree with pink flowers to celebrate Chinese New Year…today they took it down, this reminded me of the changes we face, the voids we fear, the endings we avoid, pruning and faith. 

A bit random, I know…

It is time for a Change….

19 Sunday Apr 2009

Posted by in Change, Easter, Jesus, Makeover, Pimp my Ride, Xzibit

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The spring season is a season filled with change in many ways; flowers and sprouts start appearing in nature, households undergo the famous “spring cleaning” and daylight savings time begins.

What is change?

According to wordnet.princeton.edu change is:
 Any variation or alteration; a passing from one state or form to another; as, a change of countenance; a change of habits or principles.
 A succession or substitution of one thing in the place of another; a difference; novelty; variety; as, a change of seasons.
 A passing from one phase to another; as, a change of the moon.
 Alteration in the order of a series; permutation.

Change and Life

Different accounts, scientific and faith-based, of how life in this planet originated and perpetuates itself identify change as a key element for the existence of life.

The Bible narrates in the book of Genesis how God formed the Earth and creation by gradually changing the “formless and empty darkness” which was there in the beginning into a place where light, sky, water, vegetation, animals and humans exist. (Genesis 1). God changed the conditions of the void by creating living and inanimate matter; we see a change taking place.

Science also explains how in an embryo is created through the differentiation and specialization of different cells which come from the union of two gametes. One cell multiplies and changes into millions of different kinds of cells to create a living organism; a zygote becomes an embryo, which turns into a fetus and later a baby; we see a change taking place.

Regardless of the lens we choose to look from…we can agree that change is a part of life, change results from the temporary nature of our earthly existence, change happens to everyone and everything in this planet…change is a precondition for life.

Two Kinds of Change

In our lives, we experience changes without even realizing it; seasons change, conditions change, we grow older, we go from one stage of our life to the next, we sometimes experience loss or unexpected out-of-the-ordinary situations. In order to study the phenomenon of change, scholars have categorized change in two kinds; cyclical change and structural change.

Cyclical change, as described by its name, is a change that occurs on a regular interval…for example seasons, fashion trends or business cycles…this kind of change is not permanent and can be reversed.

Structural change is a change that is unusual such as a revolution in a country, loss or death…this kind of change is permanent and cannot be reversed.

Source: http://www.radicalchangegroup.com/2008/11/02/58-the-types-of-change/

Change and T.V.

One of the biggest money-makers in the t.v. industry are the shows that capitalize on documenting change, such as makeover and improvement shows…as an avid t.v. viewer, please allow me to name my top 5 shows dealing with change:

5. Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style; it is a Bravo produced show where fashion-impaired ladies get the tools to reinvent their wardrobes from Tim Gunn.
4. Extreme Makeover; it is a total revamp of a person’s appearance which includes months of training, plastic surgery, wardrobe reinvention plus hair and makeup.
3. Extreme Makeover Home Edition; this show deals with the renovation of the house of a deserving family…it is a joint effort of the t.v. show and the friends of the family.
2. What not to Wear; people are recommended by their family and friends for this show…another show which deals with the fashion-impaired.
1. Pimp my Ride; a show dealing with car-makeovers.

So Please MTV, Pimp my Ride!

I especially like the format of “Pimp my Ride”…the show begins by introducing us to a person who has a car in dire need of repair…usually the car is falling apart and barely driving. After detailing all the malfunctions and glitches of the car the owner issues a plea to MTV asking for help, the first scene of the show always ends with the phrase “so please MTV pimp my ride”…the next scene shows the host Xzibit coming to the person’s house first to inspect the car and to announce that a change is coming; MTV has heard the plea and is going to Pimp the Ride.

It is so funny and endearing to see the people’s reaction when they open the door and see Xzibit standing in front of them…they are ecstatic; some will scream others will jump and scream, and others will scream, jump and embrace Xzibit like he was a long-lost brother. These people understand the implications of Xzibit’s presence at their front door; he’s coming to bring about a much needed change…He’s coming to get the defective automobile, and he’s going to take that car to get work done in one of the best garages in California…the participants in the show are aware that the next time they see their car, it is no longer going to be defective; not only will it be repaired but also immensely improved a.k.a. pimped. This change brings joy, anticipation and excitement to people’s lives…and I like watching all these emotions unfold.

Just like the introduction of the show follows the same format over and over, the conclusion of the show also follows one recurring format; once the car is in a new and improved, the owner is invited to the garage to witness the “great reveal”. The mechanics explain step-by-step the repairs, improvements and changes made to the car and the owner of the car responds in amazement and gratitude. The host of the show, Xzibit presents the person with his car keys and before letting him/her drive away he tells them; “You’ve officially been pimp’d”.

Jesus the Great Mechanic

Recently we celebrated Easter…a time when we remember Jesus’ life here on earth, his death on the cross, and his resurrection after three days. However, many times we overlook the fact that Easter is also celebration of change; through his sacrifice, Jesus has dramatically changed the course of history and the potential outcome of our lives. In the show “Pimp my Ride” the cars are changed at two levels; first the mechanics fix those things which are malfunctioning or have deteriorated over time, and second the mechanics improve the car by adding equipment that the car did not have even when it was new from the dealer; such as extra-powerful stereo or GPS navigation system, which enhance the car’s condition beyond the owner’s expectations.

Similarly, Jesus brings change to our life at two levels; first he repairs the damage caused by sin and the works of the enemy our life, the Bible says in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”, and John 10:10 says “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Second, Jesus improves our life through giving us the opportunity to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit; our God-given GPS navigation system, and by opening the way to the throne of the father. Paul says in Ephesians 3:13-21 that we can know the depths of God’s love and be strengthened in our inner man through his Spirit and that God is “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine”…in other words; the changes that Jesus brings to our lives can exceed our expectations.

Jesus at the Door

As I mentioned before, one of the most memorable instances in the show “Pimp my Ride” are the scenes where Xzibit knocks at people’s door in order to bring about change…similarly in Revelation the Bible contains a passage where Jesus is pictured standing at the door and knocking…

Revelations 3: 14-21
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler
of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I
wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—
neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth…So be
earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he
with me.”

When I read this passage, I cannot help but contrast the enthusiasm of the people portrayed in the t.v. show when Xzibit is at their door and the indifference of the church of Laodicea when Jesus was at their door… the bible describes the church’s reaction to Jesus as “lukewarm”, in other words apathetic, unexcited or even neutral…and this has not changed very much with time. Christians are still very passive, indifferent or neutral when it comes to Jesus’ presence in their lives…I sometimes get more excited watching a car get fixed than reading God’s promises in the bible…and I know I am not the only one.

How can people (including myself) be so excited for a temporary change such as their car getting fixed and ignore the person who wants to bring about changes that benefit their entire lives not only on this earth but also for eternity? Unlike the t.v. shows such as “Pimp my Ride”, the changes that Jesus brings to people’s lives are permanent, structural, eternal. A car lasts 20 years…eternity lasts forever.

How can we respond adequately to the changes that Jesus wants to bring to our life? John the Baptist once instructed people on how to respond to Jesus’ gift of salvation…he said in Luke 3:8 “produce fruit in keeping with repentance”. Repentance is a word which implies change…it is actually a complete 180 degrees change in direction; it is a U-turn. Jesus himself tells the church in Laodicea to repent…to be earnest. Repentance includes a heartfelt desire to embrace the changes that Jesus wants to bring about in our lives…it is the equivalent of making a U-turn when we are driving in the wrong direction, or giving Xzibit the keys to a car which desperately needs repair.

Concluding Thoughts: The 10-Cow Makeover

Readers Digest once published a powerful story which narrates the story of a widower who lived with his two daughters in a small village in Asia a long time ago. One of the daughters was beautiful; her charisma and grace was known in the entire village and the neighboring areas… The other daughter, although noble-hearted, lacked allure and charm. The two young women were ready to be given in marriage, and as it was the custom in those days, the father was expecting suitors to show up and offer cattle in exchange for a wife.

One morning, word came to the old man that a wealthy dignitary was coming to the village to find his future wife. The wealthy man had been on a long quest to find a suitable woman to share his life, and had travelled near and far in his mission. The old man thought to himself; “surely when he sees my daughter, this man rich in possessions but poor in love will forget all his previous distress and forfeit his travels; he will settle with her and ask for her hand in marriage”, he rushed to his house and prepared for the event.

As the dignitary entered the old man’s house; his face light up, his eyes grew teary and his mouth uttered the following words; “Good man, at the sight of your daughter, I who am rich in possessions but poor in love, have forgotten all my distress and travels, I am in love with your daughter and wish to settle with her and ask for her hand in marriage, allow me to offer 10 cows as exchange” The old man who was prepared answered without hesitations, “Dear sir as a father, I am prepared to give you her hand in marriage.” The price of 10 cows was the highest price anyone had ever paid for a wife, but the old man was not surprised, since his daughter’s beauty was legendary.

The old man was smiling, satisfied that all his predictions had come to pass, when something happened that took not only him, but the entire village by surprise; the dignitary approached the two daughters who were standing side by side, and turned to the other daughter, the one who was noble-hearted and asked her “would you be my wife?” Without any hesitation, the young woman took his hand, looked at his family for one last time, and left with the distinguished man to become his wife.

Time went by, and word came to the old man, that his daughter and son-in-law were coming to the village in the customary visit that daughters pay their fathers. In villages a family-visit, concerns the entire town, and so all the people had gathered outside the old man’s house, to see the daughter arrive with the fool who paid 10 cows for a noble-hearted but unattractive wife. The dignitary appeared first, illustrious and poised as usual and stretched his hand to his wife to lovingly usher her into her father’s house.

The sight that caught people’s eyes was not that of an unattractive, noble-hearted woman, but that of an exquisite creature, who stood dignified, lovely and self-assured by her husband’s side. Astonishment and admiration filled people’s minds. The old man in his amazement couldn’t contain himself; he asked his daughter the reason for her change. The woman looked at his father and at everybody else, set her gaze on her husband and answered; “I realized the price he paid.”

I like this story because it is a makeover story, and it also illustrates what repentance should look like. Jesus paid a price for each and every one of us, so that our lives could be changed…however we need to respond and change our ways…and we will be restored, made-over, or as put in my favorite lingo; we will officially be “pimp’d”.

“”If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me” (Jeremiah 15:19)
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 3:2)
“Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent.”

It is time for a change….