A New Life!

Anticipation of Renewal

If only we could start over and begin anew. Sometimes, that may be possible. A pile of wadded balls of paper flowing out of the waste basket attest to the desire for fresh starts. While it may be possible to start with a clean sheet of paper when writing a letter or a novel, in many things it is simply impossible to have such an easy solution. A new beginning is a coveted commodity.

Life, for example, cannot just be scrapped so you can begin again. Those who “end it all” with a vain hope of coming back in a better form, foolishly forfeit their only opportunity to live a life of meaning. While all will suffer with mistakes and regrets, what matters is the ability to pick up and try again. It is not a new start, but the opportunity to incorporate yesterday’s lessons of failure with tomorrow’s hope and faith.

Christ came with a promise of new life, “I have come that they might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). He did not promise that we could be born of a natural birth a second time, but the opportunity to be “born again” of the water and of the Spirit. Jesus explained the difference in the natural and the spiritual birth to Nicodemus in John 3. Jesus emphasized to him, “You must be born again!”

While we may not be able to start as a brand new baby, we have the privilege of a new life in Christ. The stark memories of the past help us to appreciate the new life afforded by God’s grace. The joy is more abundant against the backdrop of sin’s misery. The peace of His presence stands in sharp contrast to the turmoil of past conflicts. The hope for the future and the promise of everlasting life replaces the emptiness of despair over life’s futility.

Paul wrote, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). You can have a new beginning with a new life in Christ!