The Old is Made New

Many of you may have heard the saying, broken crayons still color, referring to broken people still having value and purpose according to God. I’m not sure who originally penned the words, but it’s a concept many people can identify with, far more than the enemy wants us to believe. We all struggle in this life, some a little more than others, but when we come to God, humbled and at the end of ourselves, we begin a journey of healing and restoration that will prepare us not only for the purpose he calls us to in this life, but for the work we will do in the next.

There was a time I felt like a porcelain doll, shattered, broken and then kind of pieced back together by God. It was a self-image that stayed with me for years. What I’ve realized over the course of those years, far more than I care to count, because I’ve been a bit of a slow learner, is that image may reflect my initial transformation, but it doesn’t reflect where I am today. The truth is, we may be broken when we come to God, but he doesn’t leave us in that state.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Sure, we will still have trials to endure in this life, but he does not leave us broken or haphazardly pieced back together. Regardless of our circumstances, God offers us His wisdom and truth to bring healing and hope for a better future. He can not erase our past or all the consequences of our sinful choices, but rather he will masterfully create purpose in it, as only he can do. If we submit to his word, he will honor our obedience by bringing a sense of wholeness to what was once a mess we had created. God doesn’t just melt us down to recycle us like fragments of what we could have been, or glue us back together in some semblance of what we were before the loss of our innocence. We may come to him in that state, but because he wants his light reflected to the world through us, he doesn’t leave us in that state. He makes us new.

The Bible is filled with stories of believers transformed by the Spirit of God, like Peter, Paul, Matthew. Each one became this beautiful reflection of God’s mighty hand at work in the world, despite where they had once been and the poor choices they had made. Don’t settle for that shattered image of self in your mind. It’s a lie of the enemy that you can never be more. Step out in obedience. Cling to God’s truth. Be renewed and made whole through the incredible power of His Holy Spirit, and live life abundantly, according to His perfect will.