I love fresh starts, new beginnings, the look of a new planner ready to be filled with new events and ideas. I think my love for things brand new makes me wonder why all this newness fascinates me. Have you ever washed a pair of old shoes in the washer and had them come out almost looking new, but it still didn’t satisfy the desire of them being new? So you are tempted to trash the old so you could justify buying something new. Maybe that’s just my own temptation. Living in a country where things quickly age because the material used was weak and poor, puts a desire in me for new things that don’t fade or get dirty. We have a mall near where we live, its only two years old, but its newness remains. I’ve seen new shops go up but in one year’s time they look really used and worn and it is hard to believe it was put in just a year ago. I remember how when shopping with my grandmother that she always spent more on something that would last rather than something cheap that would fall apart. I didn’t understand her until I lived in a country where most would rather pay cheap prices over having a valued and durable possession. My life, however, has been made new and bought at a price that says to its keeper that it will never grow old or fade away. I’m grateful that God desired and was able to pay the high price for my new life. He didn’t settle for a cheap priced salvation, hoping that it would remain eternal. He paid for it in full, the high cost of His Son with an eternal guarantee. I love all things new, but I truly value the new life He has given me in Christ. A new year gives me a new opportunity to live my life as His new creation, a new year to continue to aim to glorify Him, a new year to continue to worship and know Him more. Ezekiel 36:26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."
