2 Corinthians 5:17 Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! (The Message Bible)
It wasn’t like leaving the old country and settling in America or even like the pioneers heading west in their covered wagons, but my father moved from a small town in central PA to Philadelphia and that made all the difference in my life. My Dad always kept his connections through family and friends with his roots but it was clear to me when we visited that he was different from them. He wasn’t a small town boy in the same way that those who never left remained. I don’t know that my Dad was looking for a fresh start when he brought his family to Philadelphia. I think he was just following a job. But he got one none the less and, while he enjoyed the visits, showed no desire to return to live. We look at the people that surround us and categorize them by all sorts of criteria, age, income, etc. and maybe these things have had a big role in making them who they are. Still they, and we, all have the potential of new beginnings through Jesus. God looks at us not just for what we are but for what we can be in him. This week, try to look at others through that divine new-life lens.
Don
Logan Memorial Presbyterian Church 