Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That’s why the prophet said, The old life is a grass life, its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers; Grass dries up, flowers droop, God’s Word goes on and on forever. This is the Word that conceived the new life in you. ~1 Peter 22-25 MSG
It has been almost 5 years that I have been on a journey towards the heart of Jesus. However, I can clearly remember the feelings of being lost and broken. I was completely defined by the enemies lies and all of my failures.
Life had caught up to me.
I thought I was alone.
For years, I didn’t know who I was, nor what I was capable of becoming. One thing I knew for sure was that I was tired of holding on to life’s wounds and the unworthiness that hovered over me. I was done running. I was finished turning my face away in shame. I was ready to surrender.
I was ready to start living and I could hear God’s call for me. He was pursuing me. He delivered a reprieve from my old life, a safe place to grieve and a process of growth.
God has changed me from the inside. He has revealed his goodness to me, and that is where I find value and a place to belong. It is also where I have merit and a purpose to continue on his path for my life.
5 years ago, there was no possible way for me to see any light that existed, let alone, conceive where my life was headed. I was so used to weathering all of the words that depleted me. They were who I was.
Today, I have been blessed with new life. As I prepare to celebrate the last 5 years, I realize how much I have learned, not only about myself, but also about other people.
When God gives new life along with a new heart, we are capable of seeing life, people, and ourselves in a new way. I’ve learned that it doesn’t necessarily matter what a person looks like on the outside, where they’ve been or have come from.
New life is the experience of something greater. It is the anticipation of what is to come. Life is about understanding the importance of connection, while building relationships like Jesus did through acts of transparency, safety, and acceptance. New life is about living the message of love. It is about understanding we were created for and knowing who we are in Christ.
~ Baring His Beauty,
Tiffany Thomas
Restored People Community 