While at a holiday party a few months ago, I ran into an old friend I hadn’t seen in quite some time. We were roommates in college (while Travis and I were dating) and were living together at the time of my dad’s death. He knew me pretty well back then, but after graduating from college, we saw each other only occasionally and lost touch.
I sat down next to him at the party, and before I knew it, he asked me about my writing. “I heard you’re writing,” he said. “What do you write about?”
The last time I talked with him, I wasn’t even a Christian yet (nor is he a Christian now). I knew my answer would not be what he’d expect.
I told him how I became a Christian. How I was given the proof and grace I needed to believe in Jesus. And how Jesus called me to love and forgive Anthony, the man who murdered my dad. And what God did through my journey toward forgiveness and the two and a half years of correspondence with Anthony.
He looked at me, mouth open, not knowing what to say. “Uh…wow, Laur. That’s crazy.”
“Yea. It is,” I said. “It’s amazing what God’s done in my life.”
Then after a moment, he said, “you know…the old Laurie would have just told Anthony to f*** off.”
I have to admit, I was a little surprised by this comment. But he was right. “You’re right,” I told him. “That’s exactly what I would have done. But I’m different now.”
He looked at me and simply nodded.
I am different now. Very different.
How thankful I am for grace.
A New Creation
When Jesus saves us, we literally become a new creation––we are born again. Second Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
We don’t need to live out of our old selves. The old has passed away. But instead, being a new creation, we live by the spirit which allow us to be different and empowers us to follow Jesus radically wherever He may call. [Tweet that]
Our new nature compels us to die to ourselves and be something different, something the world stands in awe of and can’t quite figure out. We can love like never before. We can forgive others like never before. We can reconcile relationships like never before. And we can allow Jesus to shine though our imperfect lives to those around us, bringing others to know and love Him.
This is how I want to live.
This is how I want you to live. Imagine how the world would change if Christians––ALL Christians––lived like this.
{Our new nature compels us to die to ourselves and be something different, something the world stands in awe of and can’t quite figure out.}
What has Jesus changed in you that is apparent to those who knew you before coming to Christ?
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