Made New

There are few things in this world that bring me more joy than seeing old things made new.

For me, it’s not even about the finished product. It’s about the process of transformation. The taking of something old and past its time; its value diminished and in some cases, empty. What once was beautiful to the eye, useful and sweet, perfect in its design and function, is no longer any of those things. It sits, a pity to the human eye, without a hope in the world, a mere fragment of what it once was and was intended for.

But along comes someone who knows that before decay began to wring the life from it, this thing was good, pleasing and perfect. It lacked nothing. He picks it up, understands its lack, and begins to formulate a plan to re-imagine, re-shape, and restore it to usable condition. He knows that while it will never be perfect again, it can be transformed into something beautiful, worthy, and cherished by he who redeems it.

Don’t you see? When we take the old and broken thing, worn down by time and human hands, and begin to re-imagine what it could be, we demonstrate the very likeness of our Father. He who sees our fragmented parts, begins to re-imagine our futures, re-shape our hearts, and restore our broken lives in light of His great redemption story. He pieces us back together by His tender touch. He fills in our gaps with His goodness. He molds our hearts to be more like His.

And the best part of all: He basks in the delight of His finished product knowing that He, Himself, has brought it all the way from broken to beautiful. That’s us - redeemed, made new, and made beautiful by someone who has the knowledge and the power and the authority to make it so.