It's a New Day!
See, I am doing a new thing! (Isaiah 43:19)
I just returned from visiting family in Texas. It’s always awesome to hang out with my parents in Nacogdoches, but this time I got to attend a family reunion with the Wheeler cousins. I have missed out on too many of these over the years and probably would have missed this one too if my husband hadn’t insisted and booked my flight for me. (It’s wonderful to have my own personal travel agent!) I had an absolutely delightful time, enjoying prize-winning pulled pork sandwiches with my aunts and uncles, my cousins and their children I hadn’t seen in years. We also celebrated my Aunt Murl’s 89th birthday. (I want to look like her when I'm that age!)
But one of the best parts of my vacation was hanging out with my sisters for a few days. We went walking in the early mornings – before the humidity and heat of a July day in Houston sucked the life out of us. We shopped, hung out by the pool, and ate at several Mexican restaurants – Chuy’s, Lupe’s Tortillas – I miss Tex-Mex! We watched movies that made us cry. We definitely need to do this more often! I was on my way to the airport with my sisters and my 12 year-old nephew, Parker. Paula mentioned to her son that they were going to make a short stop at Kohl’s after they dropped me off at the airport. I saw Parkers face droop. “Short shopping stop . . . a.k.a. three hours later,” was his dismal reply. He was obviously convinced that this “short shopping stop” would become a torturously long event for him. “Parker,” I said as I turned around in the car and waited for his full attention. The car grew quiet and then with an intensity and authority usually reserved for such serious matters as delivering a State of the Union address, I said, “It’s a new day!” We immediately erupted into laughter. I’m not sure why this was so funny - maybe we were struck with the irony that this simple message was spoken as if it was the most profound truth ever discovered . . . and who knows . . . maybe it was. When I turned my phone back on after arriving in Denver later that day, I was greeted with a text message from my sister Suzy: We were in Kohl’s for about 20-30 minutes. Parker said, “It IS a new day!” As silly as it seems, Parker was relishing the delight of a new thing – the “short shopping stop” actually became a reality - the torture of past shopping trips (12 year-old dramatization) didn’t materialize. It really was a new day! I’m reminded of God’s words in Isaiah 43:18,19: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” In other words, stop settling for the status quo. Stop acting like the events of today are determined by the disappointments of yesterday. Stop missing out on the truth that the God who makes all things new is standing ready to delight you with a brand new expression of His love, a fresh breath of heaven, even now. I wonder what would happen if we started to believe God for new things? I wonder how many ordinary moments would become extraordinary. And I wonder how many daily events have actually been primed by an Almighty God for the very purpose of displaying a miraculous, new thing. If a 12 year-old boy can experience a “shopping miracle” when he least expected it, I’m thinking our lives would be drastically changed if we actually began to anticipate and pray for our loving Savior to delight us with fresh expressions of His love. Is there a stirring in your heart as you consider the possibility that God wants to do a new thing in your days, not just in the ordinary events but also in the areas that tug at your heart? Where do you long to see God breakthrough and do something new? Would you pause right now and ask God to help you stop settling for the least He can do and start believing Him for the best He can do? It IS a new day and God is doing a new thing! “May you look up from your everydayness with a new expectancy that God is up to something good and new in life.” Susie Larson
