Begin Afresh

We have an abundance of lizards in our yard this year. Every day I walk outside and they scatter!

A few weeks ago, I went out on the patio to water my plants and this brown anole lizard was on the underside of our table:

I’ve learned that all reptiles shed their skin as they grow and throughout their lives. I watched this lizard as he peeled away the skin, revealing remarkable, intricately patterned new skin underneath.

I wonder what this new skin is like for the lizard… what is it like when he warms under the sun or touches grass or feels the first drops of rain…

Sometimes I wish I could shed my own skin -  peel away that bad decision, hurtful conversation, agonizing mistake.

A bad morning can turn into a bad day which can evolve into a back week, month or even year. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

I can choose to shed the worn, deteriorating wrappings of the past, too.

Every morning I have the opportunity to begin again.

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
    His mercies never cease.

Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lam. 3:22-23 (NLT)

His mercies never cease. This means that we don’t have to be defined by our old sins. Instead, we can ask for forgiveness and God will transform us, with something new to define our lives: Christ and His love.

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.

Psalm 103:8 (NIV)

Abounding love allows us to “shed our skin” - the old dried up, sin-filled ugliness that we carry around. Faithfully, lovingly, mercifully He trades it for newness of life, every single morning.

Is it time to shed that worn-out skin?

Today is a GOOD day!

Natalie