Out with the old and in with the new. It’s a cliché, but there’s truth in it. Lately I’ve been pondering 2 Corinthians 5:17:
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
My dad had a desk that ended up at my house after he passed away. I stuck it in one of the little-used rooms in my house because the desk was, well…ugly. Beat-up. Old.
The finish had faded, and it had scrapes and blemishes from years of use. The hardware was dated and tarnished. It was just tired-looking.
But one day as I walked by that room, I noticed the lines of the desk and realized that there might be hope.
A friend had recently posted photos of furniture that she’d remodeled with chalk paint, and I’d been wanting to try it. My husband said that I was wasting my time and should just donate the desk to Goodwill. But I figured that all I’d be out were a few hours and the cost of the paint.
So I placed an old plastic tablecloth on the floor and put the desk on it. I removed the drawers and old hardware and dusted everything well.
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It only took about 90 minutes to paint the desk and about that long to finish it with some dark paste wax. And then I added some stylish new hardware.
I was floored by the difference. It looked like a brand-new piece of furniture. And I loved the expression on my husband’s face when he saw it! I’m now proud to have that desk in my home, and it brings pleasure every time I see my new creation.
God feels the same way about us. He sees hope when He looks at us, and He specializes in making new creations out of us.
Let’s think about doing away with the “old” today so He can make something new and beautiful in our lives. Here are three ways to begin:
1. Cast off the old.
You know, sometimes we don’t let new things in our lives until the old things are gone. I want to paint and put down new flooring in my upstairs, but that means I have to clean out the room that has ended up as a storage area. It’s been a big job, but the more I clean out, the more I can envision the new things that will soon be there.
What old habits or bad attitudes do we need to remove from our lives so that God can replace them with something better?
2. Be willing to let Him remodel you.
Just as I enjoyed remodeling my dad’s old desk, God enjoys seeing His new creation taking shape in each of us–but we have to be willing to let Him do it.
Let’s pray today and ask Him to turn us into something beautiful, someone who will shine for God and bring Him joy.
3. Delight in His new creation.
My new desk is so pretty now that it’s hard for me to remember what it once looked like. It’s often the same way for us.
Sometimes we can’t forgive ourselves. We can’t let go of our pasts and the mistakes we’ve made. But once God makes a new creation out of us, nobody sees the old stuff. They just see the beautiful new person that has emerged from God’s handiwork.
Are you willing to be one of God’s remodeling projects today? I can guarantee you won’t regret it.
