And once you live a good story, you get a taste for a kind of meaning in life, and you can’t go back to being normal; you can’t go back to meaningless scenes stitched together by the forgettable thread of wasted time.”
― Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life

The above quote is from a book that has been rocking my world lately. In fact, I’d venture to say that it has spurned a mixture of laughter and tears more than any book I’ve read in recent years. I began to think about why that is, I mean I’ve read A LOT of books in my life. In fact, just this year I’ve read more books than most people will read in 5 years. Why did this ONE book impact me in so many ways? As with most things (and, I’d love to say something profound, here), it is because this overarching idea of meaning and living good stories resonates so deeply within me.

I’ve heard it said that when you get right down to it, all people want out of life is to give themselves to something bigger than themselves. But, I don’t think that is exactly true. It IS partially true, but there is more. it isn’t just the idea of something greater than you are…There are lots of things that are neater, more important, or cooler than we are. I think it really is about living, being, and breathing better stories. So many of us spend our lives waiting for the next great story to happen in our lives, like stitched together by meaningless, wasted time. For me, I think this whole idea really clinched some thoughts I’ve wrestled with about my own life and story. I’ve jumped from one “great” thing to another, trying to tell some great story, and really found myself wanting. I’ve tried dedicating myself to some great cause or another, or some great company or another, or even some great person or another. Those are all a part of my story, but they aren’t THE story. My problem is that I’ve tried to make them the story. It is a neat story to tell my grandkid one day that I took a test to join the Secret Service or enrolled in motorcycle mechanic school…but those stories don’t really make the fabric of my life. Story happens in the surroundings of life, shaped by the everyday activities of just living.

I’ve been noticing more stories lately..they come in all shapes and sizes, some are simple, and some are profoundly powerful. They can incite a bevy of emotion, or simply a smile. Just today, I was sitting on a bench in the sunshine (and getting paid!), and thought about the story of my family. I couldn’t help but smile thinking about the family life that I get to share with my wife, our daughter, and our soon to be born daughter. I felt dorky for smiling to myself and getting the warm fuzzies..but THAT is part of a great story. I was talking with a co-worker who was telling me about a family he knew in the military that lived in tents for three years while stationed in Hawaii. On Base housing is usually full and renting or buying real estate in Hawaii is quite spendy, but I couldn’t help but think about how incredibly cool this must be for the family now. Think about gathering around for Thanksgiving and recalling that time when _________. I’m smiling for them, now.

Don Miller says (quoting someone else), that a great story starts with a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it. Thinking along those lines, I’ve been wondering what it is that I want most…and what the conflict is that I’ll need to overcome to get it. I’m convicted that I’m living a decent story, and I often liken it to living someone else’s dream. At least in my corporate, professional role, there are many people who would LOVE to live that part of my story…but for ME, that part of my story is quite mundane and in the grand scheme leaves me feeling as though I’m wasting huge amounts of time on stuff that doesn’t matter (at least to me). I probably won’t be telling a whole bunch of stories in 10 years about the stuff I do for work everyday…and that, my friends, is where I struggle. Sure, I do some good while I work. Yes, I help people and even spurn them on to change their lives positively. However, there is more, way more that I’m called to do and it has almost nothing to do with a cartoon mouse. God has been challenging me in this lately. I feel like there will be, as Miller puts it, an inciting incident that causes the character (me) to do overcome the conflict/obstacle that exists. I get the sense that I’ll be at a precipice, with a choice to make…and I cannot wait.

I’ve lived a life filled with stories…some heartbreaking, some immensely beautiful, and some just nice stories to share with folks at any time. But I feel like I’m entering into a different period of story right now. I feel like I’m at a point that I can’t go back to living a normal story any longer. I feel foolish, nervous, a wee bit scared, and amazingly enough, confident. I’m totally excited about this chapter of my story, it is a page turner!

What about you? Are you living in the meaningless threads that stitch life together or are you making the beautiful fabric that makes up the rest of life? I’d love to be a part of your story, if you’ll share.

Today was a day that was poised to be much like most other days…You know how the days go: Wake up, shower, breakfast, have a meeting over coffee, go to work, have some discussions, meetings, etc. Then, you go home to your awaiting family, have dinner, then head off to the grocery store for the weekly stock up.

Pretty normal, right? Except for me, this day started out talking and strategizing about God’s Church and how we can make a greater impact. Then, I had an incredible conversation with a really cool organization working to fight hunger globally as well as locally. I did a lot of thanking God for my calling and life today. In all honesty, today was hugely refreshing in terms of where I’m at with my vocational life and the amount of ministry that I “think” I can accomplish. I’m often stuck thinking about and spending energy on things that are far from what I’d deem as fulfilling God’s calling on my life. But, today was different. It was steeped in great amounts of gratitude, prayer, and life giving conversations with like minded folks. It was just good.

Back to the aforementioned routine trip to the local grocery store. This trip was almost an afterthought, kind of a closing activity to the end of the day. A family outing, none-the-less. We gathered our listed items and headed out to our car. As I was loading the bags into the cargo area of our car, I noticed a lady sort of fluttering around the area. Now, I am constantly on the lookout for suspicious activity…hazard of the job, I suppose, so I was paying attention to her. She meekly approached me, addressed me as sir (which, by the way, makes me feel silly. I’m just Tony), and asked very shyly if I had any extra money so she could buy some food for her family. She just needed something to get her by until she gets paid tomorrow. I don’t know about you, but I don’t typically carry any cash. My wife sometimes does, but she rarely even buys anything other than groceries, so her cash on hand is normally not much. I was really quick to reply to this young, fluttering lady, that I didn’t have any cash and apologized. The lady thanked us for our time, apologized for the intrusion, and wished us a good night.

So here we were. Me, having spent much of the day thanking God for what he is doing in my life and asking him to break my heart for what breaks his (and, I didn’t even sing it, until just now), and my family watching while I lead them in how to respond to this young lady. Maybe you’ve already come to the conclusion that it took me literally leaving the parking lot and starting our drive home, but somehow after a little discussion with my family and some conviction from the Holy Spirit I had a bright idea. You see, I didn’t have any cash, but I did have a trunk full of food. I’m pretty dense sometimes, but I said, “Hey, we have some chicken. I wonder if that would help.”

We set out to find this fluttering young lady again. We finally caught up to her and told her, very randomly, that we had some chicken (it was the only thing that I could think of that we had in the trunk). Her shy demeanor quickly changed from this shy girl to one of gracious thanksgiving, stating very quickly, “Yes! It will help! I have a griddle that I can cook it on. God bless you all! I mean that!”

I found myself driving away, praying some more, and mostly just trying to hold back the flood of tears that were cresting my eyelids. My heart was broken for this lady..and I don’t mean in a church-y kind of way. I mean I was wrecked over this and then thought of a thousand different things that I should have said or did. I’m praying for her and her family tonight. I’m hoping that next week when we go back to the same store for the same supplies, that we get to meet her again.

The only problem…There are thousands of people just like her walking the parking lots all over this city. What will be our response to them? We are only one family…but what if every family with the means had a response bag of “chicken”? What if we were able to literally feed thousands of hungry people? Honestly, my mind is blown.

This is the culmination of a day and week spent thinking about fighting hunger….I don’t share this story to toot our horn. I’m simply blown away at how God works. My wife and I were thinking about having a strategy pertaining to giving money/food to folks like my fluttering lady, but honestly I think that takes some of the beauty and mystique away. We’ve decided to simply be responsive to needs that we see and listen when the Holy Spirit is leading. It has worked for us so far (except one time when I bought meth for a lady…but that is a different story).

How about you? Are you willing to give away the chicken?

Last night was a big night. Huge, in fact. You don’t believe me? Just ask Sophia. She told me, “Daddy, it is my big night.” I wasn’t really sure what that meant, but she let me know. You see, she lost her first baby tooth yesterday. THAT, my friends, is a big deal to a 5 year old. Now, as a Christ following, God honoring family, we had some struggle wtih figuring out what to tell Sophia about the Tooth Fairy. Okay, well, I had a struggle with what to tell her about the Tooth Fairy. As the theologian-in-residence at our house, all the toughies get delegated to me.

“Daddy”, she says, “I wonder if the Tooth Fairy is from God like St. Nicholas is from God.” Now you know where I’m coming from. We have steered her away from believing in a jolly fat man who climbs down a chimney, leaving presents behind. We have tried to steer the Christmas conversation away from materialism and made up fat guys toward honoring Christ’s birth. That is pretty easy. On the other hand, figuring out what the Tooth Fairy does with the baby teeth of children, not so easy.

So, off to Google I went. Turns out, the Tooth Fairy isn’t from God. There are several legends out there, but none that really made sense for me to share with Sophia. A mouse that hides under a pillow didn’t really make sense. The Norwegian legend made the most sense, a tooth fee. So, I chose the best route…ignore the question. You know how 5 year olds are, they’ll forget in a little bit if you just don’t answer.

The cool thing: It was still her big night. She didn’t have to wrestle with Tooth Fairy theology. This guy did. She didn’t have to weigh the consequences of telling her 5 year old that the Tooth Fairy is just made up. She didn’t have to break the news that God didn’t send a tiny, winged creature to pick up old teeth and leave coins behind. But, I’m praying that someday she will have to. I’m praying that she handles it much like I did. I’m praying that she understands the difference between salvation issues and plain old folklore.

The bottom line that I came to understand: There are some things that don’t need a theological framework. Does that make me a bad parent, a bad Christian, or a bad Church leader? Actually, I think it would make me all of those things had I really tried to form a theological answer for folklore. And, I certainly would have been a bad parent had I crushed that beautiful little girl’s enthusiasm for her “big night”. It really was a big night. Do you remember losing your first baby tooth? Pretty big deal! For Sophia, it is more about growing up into a big girl than some made up creature changing teeth for cash. And I’m okay with that.

All this to say…There isn’t really a theology of the Tooth Fairy. In fact, there is something cool about the mystery and excitement surrounding this winged creature! This isn’t the hill to die on, people! What say you?

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. — Eph. 3:20-21

Do you have periods in your life where you just reflect upon what God is doing in and through you? There are a few times a year where I find myself really thinking about where I’m at as a human, more specifically where I see God working and leading in my life. One of those times is generally the New Year…Lots of reasons, but I’d venture to guess that most folks do some measure of soul searching during that time period. The other is my birthday. I’ve recently started my 34th trip around the sun. To those of you who knew me when I was a 3lb, 5oz premie, this probably makes you feel a bit old. Heck, it makes me feel old. Typically around my birthday, I compose a piece for this site that sort of gives a state of the human address. I really do enjoy recording what has been going on in my life and then sharing with those who read this site. For me, it really serves two purposes. One, it helps me to remember. When you’re living your life, often the details just get lost in the shuffle. Two, the record is a testimony of what God has done and is poised to do in my life.

This week, the church I serve in had an all staff dinner that basically served to remind us of where God brought the church from and where we believe that God is telling us to go. The story of Real Life truly is an amazing story of submitting to the leadership of Jesus, giving him his church back, and doing whatever it takes to make his name famous. I’m amazed every time that I hear the story and truly humbled that God allows me to serve with people who love Jesus and His people as much as this church does.

During the close of the dinner, we sang “God of this City.” Singing this song brought me back to four and a half years ago, sitting in First Baptist Church of Orlando, worshipping with 3,000 Church Planters and leaders from around the globe. We too, were singing this song. A group of passionate people intent on changing the world for good. Singing a song about recognizing that the only hope for our cities is God. He alone can bring hope to the hopeless, peace to the restless, and a light to the darkness. In that moment, hearing all these men and a few women singing about this great and powerful God of THIS city, in MY city, the one that He called me to…was breathtaking and heart breaking. There is no one like our God. He alone is the change needed. He was, is, and ever will be the God of THIS city.

Whoo is Like Our God? There is no one like our God.

I’ve thought, prayed, dreamed, and strategized about this city probably more than I care to admit. For whatever crazy reason, I love this place. I’m burdened by this place. Much like Jonah, I’ve tried everything to get out of this place. And much like Jonah, I had to surrender to God’s plan and simply do what He called me to do. I dreamed of planting churches in one fashion or another all across this city. While what we are engaged in doesn’t look like what I thought it would, it looks like MORE. So much more. In the time that we have been here, Real Life has grown from one church in one location to one church that meets and ministers in multiple locations. God allowed us to have a campus of Real Life in East Orlando, then he sent us to South Orlando/Hunter’s Creek area to start a church, and now God is leading us to the northern parts of Orlando near Apopka/Altamonte Springs to start another campus. More. Immeasurably More. I couldn’t have dreamed of this kind of God directed mission. So amazed to be part of the mission of God with people who love Jesus and love people. Seriously, I wouldn’t want to be any where else, doing anything else right now. If you’re in the Orlando Area and need a church, I encourage you to check out one of our campuses. We have churches in Clermont, near Hunter’s Creek at The Loop, and East Orlando on Goldenrod Road. I’m partial to the South Campus of Real Life in the Hunter’s Creek/Kissimmee/South Orlando area as this where I serve…but I love all locations.

My family has been through a ton of trials in the past four and a half years, but I think we would all agree that life is good. We are very blessed to have such a great family, a roof over our heads, food in our tummies (gluten free and largely Paleo food ), and money to pay for stuff. We are growing in love for God, love for people, and love for each other. We really are living the dream…Thank you to those of you who support us, think we are crazy but love us anyway, and those who pray for us daily. We need those prayers. We love our lives and can’t wait to see the MORE that God has in store.

“We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty.” – Mother Teresa

Story. This is a rather small word that really packs a lot of meaning. To some it may mean those books that we read our children at night. They are filled with made up stories of made up kids who do made up things and learn made up lessons. Sometimes, they are just about Pigeons that we’re not supposed to let drive the bus and are just plain fun. Yet, to others story might mean something akin to a lie. You know what I am talking about…”Oh, DON’T GIVE ME THAT STORY!” Just really a nicer way of saying, “Don’t lie to me!”

Living a better story means a lot. It means the author of the story gets all the glory.

Story can be controversial, can evoke numerous emotions, or can simply be neat. In the circles of influence that I keep, there is much talk about Story. Here, story references something much larger than a neat tale of pigeons staying up late and dreaming of hot dogs. Story here is the thread woven throughout our lives, weaving in and out, to create the fabric of our lives. If you read anything about careers, calling, purpose, etc, you’ve probably heard someone talking about living better stories. This is a good ideal, right? I mean who doesn’t want to live a better story?

Living a better story looks different for everyone. When I picture the story of my life, I really focus on how I live with my family, how I treat my wife, how I interact with our daughter. These are the stories I’m most greatly invested in living well. But, here is where I think that my own thinking gets a little bit faulty. I mean, if I’m living a great story in a few areas of my life, but living mediocre stories in the midst of a blockbuster my storyline is broken. Granted, most every A-list actor has had a few flops, but if I’m choosing to live a better story, I get to choose. I cannot help but wonder what it would be like if I really lived out the story that I want to live in all aspects of my life. I cannot help but think about all the times that I blew it in one way or another. These are all parts of my story, too. But often I don’t tell those parts. We like to tell the parts that are neat, or funny, or just plain sad because those parts connect with us on some level.

I choose to live well among those I interact with on a daily basis so that they might see the author of my story. This really is the goal of living a good story, is it not? We really want to reflect our Author. The lead character in the story really doesn’t get any accolades when he saves the world from impending doom. He doesn’t win any awards for his role in putting an end to hunger and poverty. She doesn’t get a pat on the back for finding a cure for cancer. The author, however, gets all the glory.

This is the connection that is often missed in discussions of calling, purpose, and wayfinding. Maybe this is on purpose as to not alienate folks that don’t share in the creator of the conversation’s faith. Maybe it is simply unintentional. At the end of the day, we should be compelled to be better stories so that our Author gets the glory. Being better stories doesn’t just mean sharing the highlight reel. It means embracing all the mundane, boring parts, the sin-filled parts, the redemption parts, and the action-filled glorious parts. Seen together, these are story. They make up that dash between your birth and your death. They are you. Don’t try to hide or change them. Use them in a such a way so the author gets the glory.

What are some way that you need to begin being a better story? What is something that you can work on TODAY to take that first step?

Imagine you are a prize winning heavyweight fighter, decked out with a shiny robe, flashy trunks, and laced up boxing shoes. Ringside, your hands are taped up by your doting coach and your gloves are slipped on. The roar of the crowd. The flash of lights. The faint smell of that sanitized gym mat, sort of like sweaty Lysol. But you, you’re fixated on the looming match. You’re getting ready to rumble. The flutters in your stomach serve as a potent reminder that it is about to be you and one other dude in the squared circle. Mano y mano.

In walks the other guy. You’ve only read about guys like this, referred to in the Bible as Nephilim. Giant is an understatement. You’re about to engage in a fight with a dude that can literally squash you like a bug. But, you’ve got no choice. You cannot back out, cannot fake being injured or sick, and certainly cannot take a dive. You’re in for the fight of your life. Fast forward three short minutes later and you’re still standing. Another three minutes in, you’ve taken more punches than you can count and cannot really see because the mixture of sweat and blood is blinding. But, you’re still standing or more like leaning into your corner. Three minutes later and you’re lying facedown in a pool of your own sweat, blood, and drool. The entire arena has their eyes on you, half of them rooting for you to get up, the other half wishing for your demise.

When All the Fight is Gone, you have two choices. You can give up or you can get up. (image via FlickrCC)

This fight is about to go down as a TKO because the Nephilim is going to kill you. If you get back up, staggering, he is going to put you down. But really, at this point, you have two choices: You can give up or you can get up. If you give up, walking away with a few bumps and bruises is assured. If you get up, you’re going to continue getting beat down. Walking away seems like a pretty good idea given the other option. But, truth be told, you’ll never know what you’re made of until you face The Giant. You’ll never be able to tell the story of how you fought for your life and lived.

Recently, I feel like I’ve faced my fair share of Nephilim. I’ve taken some kidney blows that would send many to the hospital. In all honesty, I’ve wanted to lay face down in a pool of my own juices and give up. I’ve wanted to eat loads of bad food, spend time wallowing in my own junk, and sleep. All my fight was gone. I too only had two choices: give up or get up. Easily (and probably legitimately), I could have thrown in the towel and hit the showers. But you know what? I’m not built that way. I’m more like Rocky 4 and No Holds Barred. I’m going to live the life that I dream of or die trying.

What about you? Ever feel better laying in a pile of your own filth than getting back up to fight?

We all have thoughts and dreams that we tell no one else. Not best friends, not spouses, nor parents. No one. Some thoughts and dreams are better left untold, yet others are the yell-it-from-the-rooftop kinds of dreams. There are ideas floating around in my head about life, careers, church, and just life in general that I’ve never told anyone. I may have written them down in a book somewhere or sketched a picture, but they remain just dreams. If those dreams are to ever become reality, they must be taken seriously. If I am not serious about my own dreams, who else is going to be? The same goes for you. I know there are things that you have thought of doing for years. Things that you’ve written, drawn, day-dreamed, blogged, painted, or back-of-napkin sketched. They are hanging around. Festering in your mind, or your junk box of papers. Waiting to be taken seriously.

If you do not take your own dreams seriously, no one else will. (Photo via FlickrCC stevendepolo)

If You Don’t Take Your Dreams Seriously, No One Will

It is true. No one is going to be rooting for you to pursue your unspoken dreams if they remain hidden. No brainstorming sessions over iced americanos with a dash of heavy cream. No familial discussions around the dinner table about what life will look like once you’ve finally pursued your dreams.

I know how hard it can be do take that first step in sharing your dreams. Several years ago, my family felt a strong calling by God to move to Orlando. Sharing that with family and friends, especially when from all outside appearances we were living a life that many dream of living. Newly married, working ‘good’ jobs, and figuring out how to be parents to a nine month old. We left all that behind to move across the country without promise of income or really any idea what we were going to do once we arrived. Reading those sentences made me realize one thing: We were CRAZY. Following your dreams might cause others to think that you’ve gone mad, but then again they might help others to follow their own dreams.

You Must Take Your Own Dreams Seriously at all Cost

One of the biggest problems facing dream chasers is that we really don’t take our own dreams seriously. We write them off as being too hard. We don’t think about them because the risks are too huge. We shuffle them behind the much more urgent things of life such as making a good paycheck or living a comfortable life in the suburbs. We act if as the point of life is to arrive safely at death, maintaining the status quo. Or, we are just plain afraid. Afraid of failing. Afraid of losing everything. Afraid of looking foolish. The fact of the matter is that these fears are valid and really can happen when you choose to follow your dreams.

Here is the deal: If you’re not willing to risk, you’ll never follow your dreams.

Why You Must Go First

Have you ever been a salesperson? What did you sell? I’ve sold various things from men’s clothing to electronics to office supplies and auto parts/service. I’ve also had various businesses that were engaged in selling different products and services. I wasn’t really any good at any of it. Why? I didn’t believe in nor care about the things that I was selling. Sure, there were benefits to the consumer, but really oil changes, new televisions, and reams of paper weren’t life altering in my eyes. I didn’t really care about the products or services, I just wanted to get paid. Now, contrast my professional sales experiences with the enthusiasm and success with which I’ve ‘sold’ my dreams to anyone who would listen. I spent hours talking with folks, crafting compelling vision, and garnering support for whatever dream I happened to be peddling at the moment. I took my dreams seriously and was passionate about my dreams.

You’ve got to be the first. You’ve got to own the risk, face the fear, put your big boy/girl pants on, and take your own dreams seriously.

What dreams have you hidden away in a drawer that completely scare the daylights out of you?

On the back of my bathroom door hang an old pair of jeans. I’ve had this particular pair of jeans for at least ten years. They’ve been through some things with me. You know, like stages of life type things. Like wrestling with growing up kind of things. Like finding, losing, and then finding love kind of things. Emotional things. I’ve built stuff while wearing these jeans. I’ve performed many oil changes, brake jobs, and various other vehicle maintenance tasks wearing these jeans. They are stained with grease, oil, paint, and probably what amounts to plain old dirt. They’ve got holes in all the right places and just plain fit nice. These are my go to work jeans. If I am working on something around the house, there is a pretty good chance I’ll be wearing these jeans.

Old Pair of Blue Jeans…Through thick and thin, they are there.

If you’re anything like me, you probably are thinking about your own favorite pair of jeans right now. You know the ones that you put on when you want to perform certain tasks or simply want to be comfortable. Like my jeans, yours have been though some stuff with you. They are like that old friend that you can count on to be there when you need them most. They don’t judge, condemn, or even give you Jesus Jukes when you are down and out. They just are there for you.

You’re probably wondering where all this is going. You’re may be wondering if I’m going to break into a rendition of What a Friend We Have in Jesus (first and third verses only, please). Or, maybe you aren’t wondering anything at all. Here is the deal, yes, I could give Sunday School responses here and draw some parallels between my old jeans and Jesus. I’m not going to. I kind of just wanted to tell you a story about my old jeans.

There isn’t really anything magical about my jeans. They are old and crusty with holes and stains to match. You’ll notice the times that I put them on are when I’m getting ready to do work. You’ll also notice that I thought about these jeans sort of like a security blanket. They’ve been with me through thick and thin. I will not go so far as to say that I donned then whenever I was going through something in my life, but they’ve just been there.

Kind of like a good friend. A best friend, even. My family has been through some tough things lately and we have had opportunity to reach out to some of our best friends. Most of the time there weren’t really words to say, but knowing that my best friend is on the other end of the phone made a huge difference. There was nothing that my buddy could say to make anything better or really give any greater comfort. In fact his only real offering was, “This sucks.” Really summed it up nicely, I thought.

Through good times and bad, a friend is there. Sometimes they are just hanging on the back of your bathroom door and sometimes they join you in the proverbial trenches. The Bible speaks at length about friendship, with some vivid pictures of beautiful and tragic friendships. I’m grateful that I’ve experienced both and that for the most part my family is surrounded by beauty.

Do you have a friend that is closer than a brother (or sister)? Are you that person to someone else? Who is your old pain of jeans? Have you told them lately how thankful you are for them and how much you love them? Part of the journey of living a great story is this genuine friendship.

Around our house when things get broken they go to one place: Daddy’s office. Currently, I have a maraca, a Tervis Tumbler, a lap desk, and various toys in stages of disrepair. My family knows that if there is anyone in our house that can fix it, Dad can. I don’t always know how to break it to them, but I don’t always have the ability to fix whatever it is. Or, to put it another way, I don’t have the ability to bring the items back to their former glory. I can probably patch things together, but I can’t make it perfect.

Where broken stuff goes. All broken stuff ends up somewhere…what about you? Where do you end up when you’re broken?

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:5 ESV)

In the Bible, we read extensively about new things. New creation, new heaven, new earth, new things…New. Not mended. Not patched up with super glue and sawdust. Not cast aside and replaced with a new thing. New, new. Actually new. From nothing new. There is a God that loves you so much that He is willing and able to make you new. He makes your relationships new. Your life new. Your job new. he is making you new.

The band Gungor has a song called “Beautiful Things” and part of the lyrics say this:

You make me new//You are making me new

Think about that…does it not kinda blow your mind? God has made us new AND is also making us new. That is the process of sanctification whereby through Justification in Christ we are made more like Jesus. That is, Holy and Righteous.

Where do you go when you’re broken? Do you believe that it is possible to be made new? I’d love to hear your thoughts.