A New Creation!

Ah, the wonder of Spring! With the appearance of the sun in the Pacific northwest, there arrives warmth that feels good on your skin. The coats come off and you gaze up into the clouds, swallow the sunshine and then its beams force a smile to glow on your face. I loved Spring when my dad was still alive because it signaled the new beginning of nicer weather to go golfing together. Standing on the first tee, all you can hear were birds singing a new song mixed with the smell of freshly cut grass. Framing the first hole were freshly flowered trees and bright misty morning shadows. I would take a deep breath to fill my lungs with the fresh clean air of morning newness. All together they made up a bouquet of Spring feelings that I had waited all winter for!

It was a new creation all over again!

Here is how God is encountered in the immediacy of life. Many times we meet God in those special "aha" moments like the one I experienced several years ago at Cannon Beach. But the beauty of living the Godlife is that every moment in life can be that "aha" moment all over again. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5, "If anyone is in Christ...a new creation!" Most people mistranslate what Paul is really saying here by saying, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." What Paul is really talking about is that when we first encounter Christ (that first big "aha" moment) or when we see that flash of the mystery of God's fingerprints on the now moments of life (that ongoing "aha" moment) all of creation takes on a new life. When we are aware of God every moment of every day, the world is a new creation. We see God, His presence, and His work everywhere. When we initially become followers of Christ we are "in Christ." But living the daily mystery of "in Christ" requires keen eyes and a Springtime awareness that only comes from practicing His presence.

It's like Springtime all over again!