New

New. That’s the word I’m getting as I sit and focus on God this morning. Granted, it’s a little later than normal because it’s Saturday and I slept in this morning, but it’s still morning. For another 35 minutes….

There’s something about new things, isn’t there? New clothes that you put on and wear into public for the first time. Oh, the joys of hearing someone compliment you on your new outfit. Before you know it, it’s just another “old thing” hanging in the back of your closet (or laying on the floor of your closet).

A new car. I remember when I first got Oliver (my car). It was exciting to drive him. He was the car of my dreams. I relished in the compliments. I secretly smiled every time someone stared at him (secretly because I didn’t want to appear prideful). I kept him spotless. I told my teenage boys, “There shall be no eating or drinking in Oliver.” He’s still new, but not NEW and sometimes i forego a wash or leave a cup in the cup holder or don’t vacuum up the crumbs right away.

A new job. The thrill of adventure as you embark on a new chapter in your life. It’s exhilarating. It’s fun to get up and go to work every morning. You have big plans to take over the company. And then, it’s not new anymore. Something happens that bursts your bubble and it becomes a tired old 9-5 again. Sundays come around and you begin dreading Monday morning, draining the last bit of joy out of your weekend.

New is fun. New is exciting. When something is new, we are on top of the world. As I sit here and write, I see how that happens in our walk with God as well. I remember when my walk with God was new and fresh. I remember the big plans I had to meet with Him every morning to pray and read my Bible. I remember my thoughts about Him were without ceasing. I remember how I surrendered every single ounce of my being to Him and thought that I could take on the world for the sake of Christ. I was like the writer of Psalms who said, “For by You I can run against a troop. By my God I can leap over a wall.” That was me when my walk with God was new. And I venture to guess that was you, too.

But the newness wears off. Life gets busy and we begin to cut corners. We begin to put things off or on the back burner…just for a moment. Moments become days and suddenly, those new clothes, that new car, that new job, that new life in Christ loses its luster.

But there is hope. At least for your walk with God. I can’t do much about your clothes, your car, or your job, but I can tell you that the Bible says that “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” God is a Creator. He can take nothing and make it into something new and beautiful, again or for the very first time.

Choose to be made new today. Go searching for your first love again. Surrender everything to God all over again. Reclaim your newness of life in Christ! And let your newness shine forth like a light in the darkness!