True That!

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

Since my first daughter went to school I have made it a habit to write a little note on their lunch napkins. This is not a huge investment of my time. At most it requires ten minutes. However, this simple act of kindness has an impact disproportionate to the time consumed.

More teachers, other students and even my own children have remarked how much they look forward to the notes on my children's napkins. I think these little moments mean so much because they contain the inscribed words of my love.

I wish my children were greeted each morning by a mother who was never critical, sensitive, tired or rash but that is simply not true. What is true is that they are often greeted by those lunchtime words of hope, encouragement and love. Those words speak the truth that lies in my heart underneath a sometimes critical, sensitive, tired or rash exterior. My children hold fast to that truth.

This morning I am tackling Revelations 21. The day of a new heaven and earth has dawned. What is wrong has been made right. Christ has come to rule in glory, righteousness and power. Nestled among these words of hope I find, "I am making everything new! Write this down for these words are trustworthy and true." (Verse 5)

I can assure you that there is not a single morning when I wake up and think to myself that today is a today I want to be critical, sensitive, tired or rash towards my children. Instead my desire is just the opposite. Inevitably those "off" mornings come and when they do Satan is quick on the offense. "See. I told you. You're not really a Christian. You're not even a decent mother." He even uses God's Word against me. "Remember 2 Corinthians 5:17? You are supposed to be new but you're sure not acting like it."

Here is Jesus' beautiful words of truth written not just on a disposible lunch napkin but in the permanent ink of scripture. "I am making everything new." This is a process; not an event.
Day by day Jesus is molding my heart to look more like His. True I may wake up tomorrow with a bad case of the grumpies but because of Christ's grace and work in my life, those days come with lesser frequency.

Jesus, thank you for instructing John so clearly to record Your words that are trustworthy and true. You are making me new. True, I am work in progress. Today I choose to trust You and the diligence of Your labor in me. I will hold fast to Your truth. To the best of my ability I will cooperate with the change process knowing that one day I will step over the threshold from this life to heaven. Then and only then will Your change process reach its' completion.