New Things Have Come!

2 Corinthians 5

One of the first Bible verses I memorized as a young mother, thanks to The Donut Man (are those videos even available any more?), was 2 Corinthians 5:17.  As a baby Christian caring for a baby, the promise that old things were passed away and all things are made new was precious.  I needed it on a daily, if not hourly basis.  I am angry at my husband.  It's OK.  Old things are passed away.  All things are made new.  I'm exhausted and running on fumes.  It's OK.  Old things are passed away.  All things are made new.  I yelled at my toddler and he's crying in his bedroom.  It's OK.  Old things are passed away.  All things are made new.  It was a promise that no matter how badly I messed up, God was always redeeming my failure and giving me a second chance.

Somehow, in the last 16 years, that promise has fallen out of my daily inner monologue.  It has nothing to do with the truth of God's promise.  His promises are immutable.  What has changed is my ability to remember and rest on the truth of this particular promise.  As I sit here and ponder that particular promise from my Abba, preparing to watch an old year pass away and an new one come, I am seeking to remind myself again on a daily (perhaps hourly) basis that Jesus hasn't just redeemed me once from Hell.  He also stands there, waiting to redeem every mistake, every harsh word, every sinful thought.  Verse 19 promises that he doesn't count my trespasses against me.  What better promise to hold onto for the start of a new year?

Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!