Saturday, January 3, 2009

A Fresh Start

-A Time for New Beginnings

“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).

Babies and New Years have something in common. I remember as a child seeing the comic strip of old father time with his flowing white beard and well worn sickle in hand, shuffling off to make room for the newborn child delivered promptly at the stroke of midnight December 31st. I remember asking about the meaning of this metaphor. I learned that the New Year begins as a fresh faced child full of faith for a bright future.

The unwrapped package of another year is our gift to open one day at a time. The mystery of the New Year is like the excitement a child feels on Christmas morning that can’t wait to see what will be revealed when the wrapping is ripped away. Unlike the child, we are not allowed to open the entire package; just one day at a time is all we are allowed to see. Next year is a mystery, a secure parcel under the tree of life that cannot be shook, felt, squeezed, or weighed until it is time for the opening. On New Year’s Day we are handed the new package ready for opening. It’s a fresh start, a bright package, and a new beginning.

While we have life and hope we live with anticipation of the blessings of our future. With the dawn of the New Year there seems to be a fresh vision and faith for a new day. Mistakes can be left in the past. Disappointments can be set aside. The storms of yesterday can finally be set in history. It may have just been days ago, but it was last year! Somehow, that makes us feel better. We are able to distance ourselves from the unpleasant past and slip into a faith filled future.

The blessing of the New Birth is much the same. Regardless of the calendar day, when one is born again of the water and of the Spirit he is a new creation. There is sweet release from the past and a bright confidence for the future. The old has passed away; all things have become new! There is now a spring in the step and joy in the heart.

Let the New Year be a time for a fresh start and a new beginning!