The Middle of Starting Over

"Take it on faith

Now I'm ready to fly

I'm in the middle of starting over

Back to the beginning

Gonna hit rewind

Chance to do it over

Get it right this time"

Beautiful words from Sabrina Carpenter's song "The Middle of Starting Over", which may just be my new obsession.  It gives words to where I'm at in life right now.  This is the beauty of what Christ gives us.  A chance to rewind- to go back to the begiining and get it right with the help of the Holy Spirit.

In the midst of a broken world, Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:22-24 and 2 Corinthians 5:17-19







"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new elf, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the new has come!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them.  And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."

And so, the old is gone and the new has come.  However, I'm finding that it's more like a process of the old going and the new coming.  Reconciliation has been completed by Christ, but the work of the Holy Spirit to bring my heart into alignment with God's will and who He meant for me to be is a process.  It's a messy process as the old and the new collide.  It's becomes hard to define yourself when you're not quite who you used to be and not yet who God is transforming you into.  I can't imagine a better phrase to describe this time as being in the middle of starting over.

I no longer see myself as drifting through life.  Christ has given me freedom , and together God and I are redesigning my life.  Perhaps redesigning my life isn't the correct term, though.  His design was already perfect; it's more like coming back to His design.  It's home- where I'm meant to be.  It's scary, but also beautiful and filled with abundant joy.  Hope, love, faith, peace, and joy fill this place. 

I think this also applies to where we are in history as well.  God's perfect design has been torn apart by sin.  He has been trying to bring us back to the beginning since the fall of man.  Christ's death and resurrection and the sending of the Holy Spirit to dwell among us is God's plan to do so.  Yet we are still awaiting perfection.  We're in the middle of starting over.  And we're working towards a very happy ending!

We don't usually think of there being a middle to starting over, but I can't think of a better way to explain my experience with the going of the old and the coming of the new.  I'm in the middle of starting over- and it's a beautiful place to be!


Here's the link to the video for the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJDGXg6IiT4