Recently, a friend and business client told me something that was both incredibly humbling and deeply touching. He said that to people who don’t know me, my actions might make them wonder what I’m looking for, but that he knows it’s just because I’m a genuinely nice person.
His words hit me at the perfect time. This week, I’m preparing a youth Bible study on the theme of “renewal,” focusing on how we can embrace God’s mercy and a daily fresh start. We’re talking about the universal struggles of shame, burnout, and feeling like change is impossible – all things I’ve grappled with. My friend’s simple observation felt like a real-world example of this lesson coming full circle.
Over the past five or six years, I’ve committed to a more intentional journey of faith, spending more time reading and studying the Bible to understand who God is and how I can strive to be more like Jesus. It’s a challenging path, especially in the world of business, where transactional relationships often seem to dominate. But these years, though not easy, have been incredibly fulfilling because they’ve taught me what devotion to God and trust in His mercy can do.
This week’s Bible study is built around three key scriptures that have become touchstones for me. From the prophet Jeremiah, we learn that God’s mercies are “new every morning,” a profound reminder that we can approach each day with a clean slate, regardless of yesterday’s failures. The prophet Isaiah challenges us to “forget the former things,” and to see that God is constantly “doing a new thing” even in the most difficult situations. And the Apostle Paul, writing to Christians in a worldly city in Romans, urges us not to be conformed to the world, but to be “transformed by the renewal of your mind.”
This transformation isn’t about bragging or pretending to be perfect. It’s a quiet, ongoing process. It’s about letting God’s grace reshape your heart and mind so that your relationships – in business, with family, or with friends – are no longer just transactional. They become reflections of a deeper change within.
My friend’s comment was a humbling gift. It showed me that perhaps, just perhaps, the work of renewal is more visible than I often give it credit for.
