“I messed up.”
“I need to start over.”
“I can start over.”
Most of us, once we’re old enough to reflect honestly, have uttered those first two sentences. I know I have – multiple times. But not everyone realizes they can also say and receive the benefits of the third sentence: I can start over.
Here at the first of a new year, with clean pages stretching ahead, I’d like to remind you that renewal is a possibility for us all, always. No matter who you are, what you’ve done or where you stand now, God brings the chance of renewal for you.
In Christ, God makes us new, and daily renewal is the norm. That’s what II Corinthians 4:16-18 says:
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed (my emphasis) day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
God offers us a connection to him – a renewal through not only Jesus, but also the Holy Spirit. Ponder on Titus 3:4-7:
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal (my emphasis) by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
John 3:3 and 3:5 also speak of the rebirth – the new birth – when Jesus is talking with Nicodemus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God … Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
Ahhh … there it is. There’s where our third sentence comes into play: I can start over. I can be reborn. I can leave my old life behind. I can begin anew. And those verses show how.
When Jesus speaks of being “born of water and the Spirit” in John 3, and when other passages speak of washing and renewal, I hear more than poetic language. I hear God describing the way he brings new life – through faith, through grace and through the moment when we submit ourselves to him and are washed clean.
If that kind of renewal sounds both profound and personal, it’s because it is – but it’s also meant to shape how we live day to day. In keeping with that, this past Sunday our minister spoke on renewal and encouraged each of us to approach the idea in three specific ways:
– Renew your devotion to God in prayer. The suggestion was to double our prayer time. That’s a pretty tall order, especially if you’re already a pretty big pray-er. I’m not as big a pray-er as I should be, but I’m going to make an effort to do as he suggested.
– Renew your devotion to your church family in fellowship. Aim for more and stronger ties, whatever that may be. Go to coffee with someone. Pray more fervently for someone (please see bullet point above). Or reach out to someone who’s been absent and let them know they’re missed.
– Renew your devotion to the world in sharing Christ, any way you can. Gather tracts to hand out (we’ve got some in our church foyer if you’d like to pick some up), wear your faith on your T-shirts (as one of my recent columns explored), post scripture more often on Facebook (you never know when a verse might speak to a friend) … and hundreds of other ways.
The start of a new year doesn’t erase our past, but it reminds us of something we sometimes forget: God is still at work. Renewal isn’t limited to January 1 or to moments when we finally feel worthy. It’s offered again and again – by grace.
Because of that, we can say it, mean it, live it:
I can start over.
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Sallie Rose Hollis lives in Ruston and retired from Louisiana Tech as an associate professor of journalism and the assistant director of the News Bureau. She can be contacted at sallierose@mail.com.
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