Dear Christian, You Are a New Creation

Have you ever read 2 Corinthians 5:17 (pictured) and thought, “I don’t feel like a new creation…”?

Struggling day after day with the same sins, the same trials, and the same setbacks.

“Maybe I’m not a new creation at all…perhaps my salvation has failed.”

Just as flowers wither and droop, fight against persistent weeds or lack of rain, or go dormant in the cold seasons… we human creations go through these same seasons. There are dry seasons and muddy seasons, seasons that aren’t colorful, and seasons that aren’t fruitful.

During my muddy seasons, I feel like a spiritual failure because I keep struggling with the same sins, even after being a believer for most of my life! For some reason, my flesh tries to convince me that conquering sin is a “one-and-done” process. Or, that I can even conquer sin at all! That, at the age of 40, I shouldn’t have to start over each day. I should have this mastered by now.

Foolishness.

True spiritual maturation is understanding that I cannot go a single day without renewal in Him. Each day must be a new surrender, a new grasp of the grace He offers us. Grace isn’t just for our salvation, it is for every day. In His grace, the Lord meets us where we are and extends a hand to pull us out of “the old” and into “the new.”

Praise the Lord, "the new has come!"

As flowers seek the sun and nourishment from the ground daily, we must seek Jesus and His grace daily. Our growth and joy is a daily decision to turn our face to Him. We commit each day to be “new,” pray for the old to “pass away” and to not get sucked back into the old ways. There will be days where the rains don’t come and we just can’t look up. There will be days when we don’t feel like a new creation at all. But there is hope and joy in knowing it doesn’t have to stay that way. He has promised us that joy will come in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

Will you accept the grace extended for today? Will you reach out and say “Father, I need You just as much as today as when I first believed”?

Friend, you are a new creation.
Even in the muddy, messy dirt.
You are a new creation.

Meet the Author
Hannah Carpenter

Hannah is a follower of Jesus, a mom to five, and a wife of 20 years. As a creative, she is passionate about bringing writing, painting, and beauty to the Lord as a form of worship. A true Wisconsinite, Hannah’s favorite place to be is on the lake with a good book, some snacks, and her family.