Renovate 2021

Those who can reframe will be able to adapt to society’s new landscape.

Now that the 2020 elections are behind us and the new year is upon us, we must pivot to restoring some semblance of normalcy. Vaccines for COVID-19 offer the promise of mitigating widespread infections, and the incoming Biden administration has pledged to scale up our nation’s response to the virus.

However, anxiety and depression still loom over the land like a dark cloud, sapping away the resolve of believers and unbelievers alike. More layoffs are likely, and extended prohibitions against indoor gatherings and activities are expected, along with months of increased mask-wearing.

What does the new year hold for us? None of us could have imagined what we experienced in 2020, and 2021 could be just as unpredictable. However, we must enter this year with a firm footing, resting on a solid foundation. In short, we must set our hearts and minds to building new structures and pathways for the world in which we now live.

A return to normalcy does not mean a return to our former way of living. Instead, it means establishing new norms for our new world. Change is hard, and adapting to change is even harder. But the necessity of adaptation creates new opportunities for us to thrive and flourish in uncharted territory. In his book Canoeing the Mountains, Tod Bolsinger encourages us to reframe how we see our landscape by challenging and expanding our perspective. According to him, reframing “is the most critical skill for adaptive leadership.”[1]

For 2021 to be a year of expansion and growth, we must be adaptable people who reframe our perspective on the landscape of our lives, which will in turn reshape how we lead and live in this brave new world.

The Apostle Paul exhorted the Christian community in Rome to “not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2, HCSB). They were not to view the world in which they lived through the same lens as the rest of society, for Christ had opened their spiritually blinded eyes. Instead, they were to think differently, transformatively, adaptively. God was calling them to a higher paradigm of living, individually and collectively. Their ability to reframe would help them discern how to view life from God’s perspective.

There are several ways to view today’s landscape. One way to view it is to give up hope and become nihilistic. Over 300,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, millions have lost their jobs, millions are experiencing food insecurity, and millions face possible eviction from their homes. Under these pressures, it is easy to surrender to the present dystopia that pervades our land.

A second way to view today’s landscape is to become angry and adopt an anti-authoritarian stance. Churches and businesses are being forced to close their doors, the media and our political leaders are hypocritical, social injustice continues with no resolution in sight, and many, rightly or wrongly, are fed up with being told what to do. These pressures have created pockets of powder kegs that could ignite at any moment.

Thankfully, there is a third way that stands over and above nihilism and antiauthoritarianism, and that is re-creationism. Paul uses the word “renew” in several of his letters (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 4:16; Eph. 4:23; Col. 3:10; and Titus 3:5). In each instance, he references the human spirit and/or mind, speaking of an inward renovation.[2]

Recreation speaks to God's eschatological renovation of all of creation at the end of human history (see Rev. 21). What this teaches us is that chaos (Gen. 1:1-2) and corruption are the very landscapes that God uses to display His creative paradigm and power. As beings made in God's image and likeness (Gen. 1:26-27), we have been imbued with creative capacity. Moreover, those who have placed their faith in Christ are indwelt by His Spirit, giving us access to His enlightenment and empowerment.

Therefore, as Christ’s followers, we will not conform to the nihilism and antiauthoritarianism of today’s society. We will reframe our perspective on the current landscape and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to inform our creation of structures and systems that facilitate expansion and growth.

This renewal that Paul speaks of is facilitated through the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work in our lives. By reframing how we view the current chaos, the present renovation that God wants to bring about in us and through us will be realized in a world that yearns for the old in a new way.

What does the new year hold for us? Only God knows. But those imbued with His wisdom and power can renovate the world in which we now live.

Dr. Isaac Hayes is an Assistant Pastor at the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago, Illinois, and author of “Men After God’s Heart: 10 Principles of Brotherly Love.” He also has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Follow Dr. Hayes on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube at @RevIsaacHayes.

[1] Tod E. Bolsinger, Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory (Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Books, an imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2018), 208. [2] Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 4 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 110.