I can’t help but think about the Lord making all things new. What does that mean, really? How does that translate into our own lives?

This is what I have discovered, and in some ways, continue to discover on a daily basis.

Our relationships are renewed day in and day out.

New friendships are formed, old friendships are re-ignited, and hardened friendships are mended.

Each day starts just like the days passed. The sun rises, the tasks are at hand, and we are given the unique opportunity to foster hope into the lives of others.

In my personal life, I feel as though the Lord has refreshed and made anew so many things lately.  Watching my oldest children meander their ways in their elementary school years has been a little nerve-wracking, yet refreshing.

Discovering the world through the eyes of a two-year-old is such a gift. I forget, sometimes, just how incredible creation is until I am able to witness it through the eyes of a toddler. He is such a gift to us.

And then, the relationship with my husband seems to be renewed daily.  Despite the grind of raising children, demands of work, and staying afloat in a world that seems to be sinking, I find myself loving and appreciating the husband, father, and person he is more and more each day. This is also a gift.

In these moments of renewal, I think back to barrenness. I think back to those days where the only thing in sight seemed to be desolation.

In these moments of renewal, I also think about the promises of the Lord. I revel in the fact that Scripture is relevant and alive today in my life, and in yours.

I can’t help but think about the Lord making all things new.  What does that mean, really?  How does that translate into our own lives?

This is how it translates in mine. Each day I am given a new opportunity to…

forget the past…

look forward in hope to a new thing…

embrace what is springing up…

and treasure the gifts of this life.

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
– Isaiah 43:18-19