Receptive to Renewal:The Importance of Radical Honesty and Open Hands
By: Jaime Smith
Spring is a season of renewal, and it’s the perfect time to slow down and examine our lives and the manner in which we allocate our time. It can be a beautiful opportunity for a reset after a difficult season, and I have personally experienced a renewed perspective and also moments of intense growth in several different springs throughout my life. But even in the mundane, uneventful times, spring can be the perfect reset for your space, your wardrobe, your organization—and your heart and mind.
When approaching a season where you’re seeking renewal and refreshment, it can be helpful to think through various areas of life to provide yourself with a framework. Give yourself the margin to ask questions that require a thoughtful response. I’d love to share some guiding questions I wish I would have thought through more carefully during college that probably would have saved me from certain dead ends I encountered. While this is certainly not an exhaustive list of things to consider, here are some places you can start: it can be helpful to think about 1) who you truly are, 2) the things you deeply desire, 3) what you really care about/what motivates you, and 4) your natural gifts and abilities. Once you’ve had a thoughtful and honest (emphasis on honest!) conversation with yourself about these things, you can lean into the things that are life-giving and prune away the aspects of your life that are not helping you to flourish. Oftentimes, writing these things down can serve as a kind of ebenezer in the future, but if you have another way of processing that works well for you, by all means—the point here is honesty, not perfection or form.
Asking yourself, “Who am I?” isn’t easy (or even necessarily objective). It’s probably more realistic to ask, “Who am I in this season?”
The truth is, we’re all more malleable than we’d like to admit, but that can also be a good and gracious thing. While growth and renewal are not linear, it is true that different seasons bring an array of challenges and also may require us to draw on different aspects of ourselves. If you can clear away the noise and be closer to the honest truth of where and who you are, it will be a lot easier to build a life you love.
The next thing to get real with yourself about is what you deeply desire. This is twofold—desires for intangible things (like love or stability) and desires for concrete things (such as a particular vocation). We all have desires that are embedded in our hearts, things we hope for and are willing to sacrifice to pursue, despite opposition or challenges. Ask yourself what those desires are in this season. And it’s okay if your dreams and desires have changed. That doesn’t make you fickle or weak. Sometimes part of being renewed is allowing new dreams and desires to grow even if that means letting old ones go.
Next, ask yourself what you really care about. What makes your heart come alive? Think of the things that motivate you and make you excited to get out of bed in the morning (ok, let’s be real: if you’re anything like me, nothing makes you excited to get out of bed, but you know what I mean). Again, these motivating factors might change from season to season, and that is perfectly healthy. You don’t need to force yourself to find motivation in the same things that motivated you three years ago. And while I think we can be too flimsy with phrases like “get rid of what’s not serving you” (sometimes we’re called to bear things that are difficult) and “cut out things that aren’t life-giving” (spoiler—sometimes our responsibilities don’t feel life-giving, but that doesn’t make them less ours to handle), I think we also need to make space for releasing habits, hobbies, and ways of thinking that are hindering growth. For example, forcing yourself to wear a pair of running shoes that have lost their support isn’t actually allowing you to grow stronger, it’s probably just hurting your joints. Learning to discern between the foundational blessings and burdens we’re called to bear as faithful Christians (and responsible people) and the arbitrary things we impose upon ourselves is an important distinction.
Don’t neglect your natural gifts and abilities. If you are talented at something and have a passion for it, that is a strength worth leaning into. Focus on what you are good at and cultivate yourself towards those things rather than always trying to reshape yourself into being good at things you struggle with. That doesn’t mean you can’t learn or grow or become exceptional at something that is currently outside of your comfort zone, but it does mean that if you spend all your energy attempting to fix your areas of weakness, your areas of strength will inevitably suffer. I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t cultivate aspects of your life that need growth, and I’m also speaking in terms of talents and your organizational and personality strengths, not about questions of your character. I’m certainly not telling you to not address areas of moral weakness or inconsistency. But reframing your thinking to foster and support areas of strength is a good investment of your time and energy. It is also wildly encouraging to lean into your strengths instead of always lamenting your weaknesses.
As you work through these questions, consider cutting out social media for a week or even a month (or forever, if you’re really ambitious). I can’t overemphasize how much clarity that can create, and I have not regretted the times I have done this. When you’re spending more time being present in your own life and less time viewing other people’s lives or doom scrolling, you’ll find you have more attunement to your surroundings, feelings, and overall well-being.
If you’re in a season of loss, waiting, or sorrow, don’t hear all of the thoughts above as simply a pithy commentary about fixing your life instantly—or even about being renewed in a temporal sense. Sometimes, life is painful and we don’t always feel refreshed when we’d like. But the hope for renewal isn’t just about our ability to feel it. Renewal is sometimes a proactive process, but often a receptive one. Renewal can happen through no will of our own. One of my absolute favorite moments on film is the scene in The Passion of the Christ when Jesus has fallen, and Mary runs to him. He is soaked in sweat and blood and has fallen under the crushing load of the cross, but He turns to her and says, “See, mother, I am making all things new.” When I watched The Passion during a very difficult season in my life, this scene struck me in a way I will never forget. I was reminded that even when “the world goes not well,” and our hearts and bodies are broken, He is making all things new. Even when you may be too tired or weak to contemplate renewal, remember that in Christ, our hope is renewed, and He has the final victory.
Romans 12:2 directs us: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” To be transformed means that something active is happening to us. Notice it doesn’t say “transform yourself by renewing your mind.” Being transformed at a spiritual level is a process that comes from an active outside force. The Lord Himself is the one spiritually transforming us, renewing us, reclaiming us for His good purposes. Soften your heart to the process of renewal and transformation, and be surprised by His goodness in the process. May you, wherever you are, open your hands to the prospect of being renewed and may you be surprised and delighted by however your renewal unfolds.
Jaime Smith | ‘22
Jaime Smith is the Program Director for the Hillsdale College Graduate School of Classical Education. She studied English and Classical Education while a student at Hillsdale and loves reading good books as well as pursuing her own writing endeavors. A native Michigander, she loves lake MI and sunsets on the beach. During her free time, you’ll likely find her hanging out with her husband, trying a new recipe, aspiring to read more, on a run or walk with her sister and friends, working to cultivate her home, or cuddling her two sweet dogs. Life is wonderful and messy, and it’s important to have encouragement and support. I’m always happy to chat!
Phone: (231) 392-3275
Email: jsmith3@hillsdale.edu
