ctrl-Z

Happy New Year!  It’s a new year, a new beginning – the old is gone, the new has come!  YIPEE! 

Not that 2012 was so awful – but it’s good to start afresh, don’t you think?  Get rid of some old “bad” habits, put on some new “good” ones.  My husband and I have promised each other we are not going to be “crabby” with each other anymore.  I am horrible!  We will try and talk nicely to each other - that alone will be a miraculous feat!!

Sometimes, I just want to take back immediately what I just said – ever want to do that?  At my office, my new cubby partner taught me a wonderful keystroke last year that I told her has “spiritual” meaning.  Seriously!

ctrl-Z.  Ever use it?  It un-do’s.  Yep – whatever you type wrong or don’t mean to do – it undoes it.  Ingenuous!  I use it all the time now.   (I know – I’m slow!)

What on earth could be the spiritual meaning of ctrl-Z?  Hmmmm, well . . . . how about when I am crabby and disrespectful with my husband (last year of course), or when I have that judgment or that jealous thought or when I snap at a coworker, or cuss at a driver who just cut me off -  if only I could “ctrl-Z” it – undo it – wouldn’t that be wonderful!!???!!! 

What about when we sin?  Doesn’t the blood of Jesus “ctrl-Z” it?  We ask for forgiveness and He washes it clean, as white as snow – over and done – out of here.  We are forgiven. 

God had a plan, at the beginning of time even, to “ctrl-Z” us – undo our sin, make us clean or new.  Right from the get-go, He knew we would need a Savior – it even says so in Genesis, the book of “beginnings” – we were created in God’s own image (Chapter 1, vs. 27) and then in Chapter 3, God planned the “undo” part – the “ctrl-Z” – Jesus Christ.

God, through Jesus Christ, has made us a way; He has a plan for each of us – Isaiah says (in Chapter 43):

But the Lord says, “Do not cling to events of the past or dwell on what happened long ago.

Watch for the new thing I am going to do.

It is happening already—you can see it now!

I will make a road through the wilderness

and give you streams of water there.

 

Don’t you see?  He doesn’t want us dwelling on past sin, or our past even.  We are to “watch for the new thing He is going to do” – in fact, its happened already (!).  I take that means that He knows what it is - we just need to get on board.

I’m thanking God RIGHT NOW for this new thing – these streams of water – this new path He has planned for me.  I’m praising Him for “ctrl-Z-ing” all of my ick, my sin, my wrong motives and my bad choices and making a new way for me to go in 2013.  Want to join me? 

That is SO what He wants for us - His Will for you and me - let's jump on board, shall we?

 

God, the Father, God, the Son and God, the Holy Spirit, in this new year, this new beginning, we praise You for Who You are and what You are about to do - help us to live in Your Way, Your Will and Your "new thing" - in Your holy Name we pray, AMEN.