Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. -Ephesians 2:10
As I look back on my life it often seems that my memories must belong to someone else since I struggle to believe that those events could possibly be true. When I was about six or seven years old I was attending Saint Elizabeth Catholic School. My educational experience started out a little dicey to say the least. On the first day of first grade, I was paddled. When my mom tricked me into going back on day two, I tried to bolt but was dragged into school anyway. From there though it seems that I was making a comeback. While I started as a remedial student, I became motivated and worked to be at least mediocre. With the class going to mass every day I eventually learned to follow along with the service guide and eventually loved it. In fact, I loved it so much that I played mass at home. I would play records (for those younger records were similar to CDs only bigger) to cover the worship music and led my siblings through mass in our bedroom. God had gotten a hold of my heart. For many years I considered becoming a priest. However, a desire for wealth distracted me from that direction. The idea of taking a vow of poverty did not seem like a good idea. But the final nail in my priesthood direction was the discovery of girls. There was no way that I felt that I could make that vow of celibacy, even though I really did not understand any of those sort of things.
The bottom line is that even though I was created as God’s masterpiece I was now marred by idol worship (wealth and women). Eventually I would add drugs and alcohol to my list of idols that I frequented. My life quickly spun out of control. While it is a story for another time, after a night of overdoing alcohol I woke up in a pool of my own vomit. It was in that moment where God again called out to me and reminded me that I am a child of God. No, it did not happen instantly but all other events in my current life can be traced back to that moment.
While I had been a liability to the God of Creation, He redeemed me and now I am a new creation. He can and will change us. Too often we think we are too far gone to be used by God. Moses may have felt that way. He had committed murder, had run away from Egypt and by the way was 80 years old when God met with him at the burning bush. Saul was an accessory to murder and was boldly persecuting the church when God had gotten a hold of Him. It is never too late on this side of Heaven.
Are you ready for that change? It starts with something that is simple in words but difficult in action. We must submit to King Jesus. The Biblical term is repent. We look at where we were going and then look where Jesus wants to lead us and join in with where He is wanting us to go. For some that will be a 180-degree pivot, for others less. But turn we must if we want to forge a new life. He is the one to do the forging, our job is to stay in his hands.
