2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
LANSING, MI – When approached about writing on ‘New Beginnings’ the above verse came to mind FIRST. As a matter of fact, I searched for it because I could not fully remember the whole verse (and praise God for a husband and biblegateway.com). However, what I found MOST compelling was not the ‘behold, new things have come,’ or the ‘Therefore,’ but ‘…the old things passed away.’ How many times have you and I been stuck on the ‘old things’ in our lives, that we are not able to see that ‘new things have come?’
That is the phrase I am stuck on. Why you may ask? Well I’m glad you asked, friend, because we need to realize that before we approach, arrive, or move forward to the ‘new things,’ we MUST remember that the ‘old things’ have to pass. What are the ‘old things’ that you have to put away? What are the behaviors, thoughts, habits, and actions that you are trying to keep attached to the ‘new creature’ that Paul is exposing to you and to me?
On December 18, 2018 my husband, Pastor Coye Bouyer, and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary. It’s been an interesting and hard road, especially over the past three years. To put it simply, I was having a hard time believing that the ‘old things had passed away.’ Was I really top priority in his life? Did I really come before the church? For me, I had begun the practice of spending too much time thinking on some of the ‘old things,’ some ‘old hurts,’ some ‘old baggage’ instead of the realizing the ‘new’ had come. You see about five to six years ago my husband shared from the pulpit his need to repent…and before you go too far, NO he did not have a moral failure. However, he expressed how over the past few years he had neglected his family; and he expressed how God had begun to deal with him on his time off during August. As he cried and shared with the congregation, I sat in my seat asking myself this one question: ‘Can I really believe him? Can I move past the years of asking and requesting for uninterrupted time for me and our children? Can I move forward?’ Honestly, I thought I had until three years ago I came face to face with some ‘old things’ and realized I had not made room for the ‘new’ to come.
New Beginnings…say it to yourself: ‘New Beginnings’. What comes to your mind? Is it the start of a new day? Is it the start of a new job? Is it the ‘restart’ of a relationship? Friends, as we exit 2018 and enter the New Year, I want us to pray and ask God: What are the old things that I need to allow to pass away in order to embrace the new? I truly believe, only then, can you and I experience the ‘new things have come.’
Be blessed in this New Year and enjoy your New Beginnings!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Keturah Bouyer is the wife of Pastor Coye Bouyer at Kingdom Life Church in Lansing, MI.