“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Ananeoo - to be made new
Ananeoo is a rarely used ancient Greek word. It is made of two parts: ana – upwards, again, or within; and neoo – new in respect to time or young. Ananeoo means to be remade by an inward renovation. The word implies a transition to something new and an ongoing process.
This process of renewing or reordering is not uncommon. Our bodies naturally renew themselves over time and we can aid this with things like diet, rest and exercise. To be made new in your thoughts, feelings, behaviors and attitudes – our mind – requires very intentional (and sometimes difficult) work. At times on this journey we need someone to walk alongside us to help us find a path through the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that cause us grief.
You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending – C.S. Lewis
Most of us find ourselves in a state of disorder or disarray at some point in our lives. Loss of a relationship or loved one, family conflict, difficulties at work, substance use, fear, loneliness, sadness, illness, abuse, trauma… These and many other issues in life push us past what we can cope with to a place where we may feel hopeless, helpless or out of control – a place of disorder. While we cannot rid ourselves of these experiences, we can learn to integrate them into our personal narrative and reorder our lives.
This movement toward healing and health – a reordered life – is what Ananeoo conveys, a continual upwards renewing of self.