Different Good or Different Bad?

“You look different today,” my friend said to me when I stopped by to visit her at work.

“Different good or different bad?” I immediately asked trying to make sure the difference she saw was a good thing.

“I don’t know, just different,” she said.

I could not figure out what she was talking about. I had not changed my hair. I was not wearing any make up, which is a common thing for me. My outfit was one she had seen before. The idea of me looking different simply escaped me, and her comment stayed with me all day. I thought about it as I sat for a job interview, studied for class, made my lunch, and took my afternoon nap.

Every time I passed a mirror, I stopped to scrutinize myself to see if I could see this supposed “difference.” Then it dawned on me. My visit with my friend was the first time that she had seen me since I really started delving into God’s Word and trying to live for Him. I have been a Christian since I was eight years old, but I did not fully grasp faith until a few months ago when God started to shake up my life.

God showed me, through a side remark from a friend, that my efforts had not been fruitless. He showed this to me at a time when I desperately needed reaffirmation of my change. It’s amazing how just trusting in the Lord and consciously following His Word not only made me feel beautiful and peaceful on the inside, but made me look beautiful and peaceful on the outside as well.

So remember, should someone grace you with the off remark, “You look different today,” don’t immediately question whether it is a good or bad different. Just know that it is God’s love pouring through you, and every ounce of it is always good.

Memory Verse:
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”
– Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)

Prayer Prompt:
“Lord, help me to remember the next time I am scrutinizing my looks in the mirror, that you are the one who created me. You lovingly and tenderly molded every aspect of my being, so that all may see Your love pouring through me. Help me to realize that I am a new creation every day I decide to follow You. Help me to remember that Your love has changed me inside and out the next time I…”

Contributing Writer:
Kristen Ruggles