The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. (Isa. 65:17)
AS I PROGRESSED through grade school and high school, I remember the blackboard as the focus of learning in my classrooms. Everything was written there so everyone could see the information. Sometimes, at the end of the day, I would help my grade school teacher erase the chalk from the blackboard and then, with a dampened sponge, I would wipe away all remnants of the day’s lesson. Today, that process is much simpler. I simply hit the “delete” button on my computer, and the screen becomes blank.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if some great benevolent sponge or a massive delete button could sweep across the blackboard of our lives, erasing all of the errors, mistakes, and shortcomings of our years? Wouldn’t it be grand to have such a fresh start?
The winter months often provide time for reflection. Lately, it has occurred to me that in my life there are things that need to be left behind—both past victories and failures, achievements and regrets. If I can accomplish this—if I can look forward, knowing that God is ahead of me, calling me to new horizons without regrets from the past—every new day before me can be filled with fresh new opportunities from God.
Moving on past yesterday and reaching for tomorrow, I can feel God opening fresh occasions to glorify Him in the days ahead.
Ask God to remove anything that deters you from experiencing new life.
Drexel Rankin is a retired ordained minister who served full-time pastorates in Indiana, Alabama, and Kentucky. He and wife, Patty, live in Louisville, Kentucky.
