Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
-2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
WHEN my daughter left home, I decided to turn her room into a study. At first I thought I would get rid of the old, stained and scarred furniture she left behind. But I couldn't afford new furniture, and I was also reluctant to throw away things that had given such good service.
Instead, I sanded away the old stains and scars and then painted with wood sealer until the furniture was beautiful and useful again. As I worked, I thought about Jesus, the carpenter. He was reluctant to give up on us when we were stained and scarred by sin and hurt. He died on the cross to make us new people.
As I was patient and took my time to refinish the furniture properly, so Christ is patient, working carefully and lovingly to smooth away the stains and scars of sin so that we can be restored and made useful again. I'm sure that Jesus is thrilled with our restoration.
