Springtime Shoes

"Therefore , if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." ( 2 Corinthians 5:17)

Have you been outside recently? It's spring! One can actually walk outside without a heavy jacket....a sweater will do. The dull brown and gray of winter is slowly being transformed with life. The grass is a rich shade of green. Tree buds give way to tender yellow-green blossoms. Flowering trees burst with assorted shades of pinks, purples, and white. Delicious scents fill the air. Birds sing their cheerful songs. Somehow the sun feels warmer that it did during the winter. It is easy to be filled with a sense of expectation, of hope.

 All the sights and smells of spring communicate a common theme: NEW. Such is the theme of our lives as believers. Only new wineskins can be filled with the fullness of Christ. Christ's teachings are declared new by those who heard them. He establishes a new covenant with us and offers us a new command. We are given new life and made a new creation. When we experience a new birth in Christ, believers are to put on a new self  to live in a new way.Followers of Jesus look forward to a new Jerusalem where they will receive a new name and a new song. A completely new heaven and a new earth will be created by God. In fact, in the end, everything will be new!

Believers welcome the new, the wonderful "fresh start" given to us through the blood of Christ. As PW's we sometimes must face a "springtime" that we do not welcome. It is an unexpected time of new beginnings. There is a new church family, new committees, new activities, and the potential for new friends. At times all the newness can be overwhelming and downright painful because it reminds us that the beloved old is gone. The idea of starting anew is intimidating and emotionally draining to some of us.

Dear Sisters, allow me to remind you again of the beauty of springtime - the beauty of fresh beginnings. Enter your springtime with expectation and hope. God brought it to you! Enjoy the freedom of NEW.

"He who was seated on the throne said, ' I am making everything new!' " (Revelation 21:5)

 

What a Beautiful Savior! Shoes

The head, 

weary and beaten, a circle of thorns pressed into its bloody brow. 

The face,

 full of  agony from severe and unrelenting pain.

 Gasps for breath.

 Arms,

 stretched out wide and held in place with spikes driven through the hands.

 A body,

 beaten and bruised, scarred and bloody.

Feet,

stationary and held together with another spike.

And blood.

Everywhere.

Isaiah 53: 2 - 4 states:

"...He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

No physical beauty, true. Yet there is no greater beauty to a sinner in need of forgiveness. This bloody beaten man, the Son of God, displays the beauty of redemption: precious blood willingly given to cover our sins.

Isaiah 53: 5 - 6 continues:

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."

Sisters, there is the beauty! His wounds bring healing. At this wonderful time of year, take time to remember the wondrous atonement offered to us through Jesus. Wash and be healed.

Marvel at the Beauty.