You Make All Things New

The Spring season has officially begun, although in Illinois, where I live, winter is still hanging on. Regardless, when I think of spring I think of new growth, new birth/life, and a sense of peace with the warmer temperatures and sunshine. Of course, spring can be really rainy as well, but it is also important to remember that rain is nourishing and brings about the new growth that is all around us. This is most evident in nature with new flowers blooming, green leaves on the trees, and beautiful color everywhere you look. Although new growth is obvious outside, there can also be a new growth in us that may not be quite as obvious to see.

Thankfully, to have newness in our lives we don’t have to wait for a specific season. New growth may look like creating healthy habits, walking away from unhealthy relationships, changing an attitude or mindset and finding ways to pursue passions, job opportunities, relationships, and learning (education). One thing I have found, in my experience as a therapist, is that a commitment to the new must be evident. This means that individuals wanting new in their lives must commit to working toward their goals and digging deep into what can be the very messy parts of life.

Although new requires some hard work, we don’t have to do it alone. God desires to make us all new and continues to renew us day by day. There is an old song by Steven Curtis Chapman that is called “All Things New.” The lyrics speak so profoundly to how God can renew us, even from the darkest of places.

“But then the world was broken, fallen and battered and scarred. You took the hopeless, the life wasted, ruined and marred And made it new.

You make all things new. You make all things new. You redeem, and You transform. You renew and You restore. You make all things new. You make all things new. And forever we will watch and worship You.

You turn winter into spring. You take every living thing And breathe the breath of life into it over and over again.”

So many people walk through life longing for change, longing for something new. Sometimes it feels too overwhelming to address all the “junk” in our lives. But, God can do so much with a desire and a commitment to press on with Him. He desires to make us all new, daily. He desires to take us from brokenness to wholeness and to renew, transform and restore. It will take some courage, but what is waiting on the other side is worth the challenge it takes to get there. I encourage you not to wait for a season or a “right” time. God is longing to make you new, if you will only invite Him in to walk with you.