A Fresh Coat

Several weeks ago I began a somewhat daunting and arduous task of painting the Youth Room here at Good Shepherd... well, at least to me it's a daunting and arduous task. My obsessive compulsive tendencies make a laborious, yet common, task like painting a room, exponentially more frustrating... but the end result is exponentially more satisfying!

There's just something about a room with a fresh coat of paint. Perhaps it's the paint fumes that induce that euphoric feel or the relief of a job completed. Perhaps it's the color that elicits happy feelings or the way it "ties the room together." Or perhaps it's just because it's something new. Whatever had been covering the walls before as been painted over and given new life, a new identity... a fresh coat. How wonderful would it be if we could simply apply that same treatment to our lives? Oh, we try! We try all the time. We buy new clothes, get a new hair style, hang out with new friends, _______________ (fill in the blank), all to achieve a "fresh coat."

Starting over, fresh and new, is so appealing, isn't it? I see a lot of this, and I'm sure you do as well, around this time of the year... the start of a new school year. For some of you it's simply moving up a grade, a higher rung on the socio-academic ladder; for others, it's a monumental transition and an opportunity to start new, to make this year count. So you say to yourself, "Last year wasn't what I wanted it to be" or "This year, things are gonna change." And you make a plan, you develop a strategy for starting fresh. Maybe it's your wardrobe, your attitude, your relationships or your friends, or maybe... just maybe... it's your faith, your life with Christ. Maybe you're saying, "This year is gonna be different... I'm gonna pray more... get more involved in youth group... witness to my friends... take my faith seriously." Whatever it may be, here's your chance, here's your opportunity to put on a fresh coat. Make a commitment, to yourself and to God, to grow deeper in your faith, stronger in your convictions, closer to Christ. Make a commitment to be active and engaged in a community of believers who will support you, build you up, and keep you accountable. Start fresh with renewed habits like reading the Word, praying, and worshiping.

Here's your chance, right now, at the start of this school year, to make this year different. And just like how painting a room can be, at times, difficult and frustrating, so can be maintaining that fresh start. But take heart, your not in this alone. Christ promises to be with you every step of the way. And the end result is totally worth it! Our God is a God of fresh coats, new beginnings, second chances. Everyday, through our baptism, we are reborn and given the opportunity to live new lives for Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" How awesome is that!?!? Everyday God is covering our old selves with a fresh coat... we are new! With Him, and through Him, make this school year the best one yet! Happy September!