new beginnings

i love all things new. i remember buying my first new car. how clean it smelled. i also remember with fondness the look of my first new apartment, the paint still a crispy white and the furniture untouched. i remember opening the fridge that still had no trace of use.

oh, and i love new clothes, how they hang in the closet, without a wrinkle. i love finding new restaurants, or a new road to work, a shortcut perhaps. and of course i love a new friend, the beginning of a new relationship and all it has to offer.

i love that God is about new beginnings. yesterday was the first day of the bible study "power at work". new people coming together for a new year of bible study with much promise and enthusiasm. new curricula given out to women hungry to delve into God's word for new wisdom. an opportunity to turn a new page and start fresh with God, examining goals for the year and setting new priorities.

i love it.

it reminds me of God's mercies, new every morning.
his forgiveness, poured out again and again, giving us a chance to start all over again, no matter how "dumb" we've been.
his grace, newly felt after stumbling down the wrong path for the umpteenth time.
his love, enveloping us afresh, allowing us to extend ourselves once more to that person who hurt us regardless of deservedness.

new life. new hope. new opportunities.
revel in that thought, why don't you, and resolve to make a new beginning today.