Friends in Christ Weekly Message
December 7, 2000

God, make a fresh start in me,
     shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don't throw me out with the trash,
     or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
     put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
     so the lost can find their way home.
Psalm 51:10-13 (The Message*)

Sometimes we feel a need for a fresh start in life. Our life may seem empty, dull and without meaning. We want more zest in our life.

There are many ways people try to make a fresh start. Perhaps a new house, bigger and more opulent. Maybe a face lift or a tummy tuck. Or a new wardrobe. Perhaps a new lover will bring us the excitement we feel we're missing. Maybe a new job, making more money. How about a shiny, fast new sports car?

The possibilities are endless. So is the potential for disappointment. The things of this world can give brief excitement, the illusion of a bright new day. But the excitement doesn't last, and pretty soon life seems empty once again.

The psalmist doesn't write about doing any of these things. In fact, he doesn't consider that a fresh start is basically about something he does. Rather, he recognizes that a true fresh start will only come from letting God work within him, shaping meaning out of the chaos of his life.

God yearns to work within each one of us, filling our emptiness and bringing order out of the mess of our lives. Rather than rushing out and doing or buying something, we need to humbly and prayerfully ask God into our lives. This is the secret to a true fresh start, one that can provide a sense of peace and fulfillment that truly lasts.

And when we have allowed God to do this work in us, we will be filled with gratitude and eager to share the possibility of new life with others. We will see the rebellious and lost with the love that God does, and yearn to tell them what God has to offer them.

Bill Samuel

* The Message version © by Eugene H. Peterson.

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