I could feel the tension building.
I had stayed calm when cereal was purposely dumped on the floor. I had smiled and given a gentle reminder when the child leaning back in his chair finally crashed to the ground. I even had even kept my cool when I heard complaints about the special Valentine's candy I was offering.
I couldn't do it anymore. These kids were about to bear the brunt of a full mommy blow-up and it was going to be nasty!
That's when the idea struck me....have a restart. We were going to start this day all over again! So I set a timer for five minutes and we all went to our rooms for a breather. We reset our hearts and our minds and when we reconvened, there was much less danger for a parental explosion.
Friends, that kind of do-over is no less common in our spiritual walk. We live in the already/not yet of redemptive time. Hebrews 2:8 reminds us that Christ has already conquered death and sin, yet at this point we don't see our world in complete submission to Him. That's still coming. In the meantime, we will sin. We will experience pain. We will acutely feel our brokenness. That's why it's necessary for us to regularly hit the reset button of the gospel.
When I feel tempted with sin, it's more than a just good idea to stop and read scriptures like:
"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." I Corinthians 5:21
Or when my heart is overwhelmed with the trials and repetitive tasks of life:
"I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you." Jeremiah 31:3
A while back, I designed this picture for my laptop screensaver. One day my oldest read it and said, why does it just say morning? His mercies are new in the evening too!
He didn't realize how many times, I would open my computer at the end of a chaotic and disappointing day only to be reminded of God's never failing, never ending mercy in the evening too! Because of Christ's work, His favor always rests on me. Every morning, every evening, and the many hours in between are wrapped in His love and His faithfulness (not mine).
I'm so thankful for the restart button of the gospel. The chance to run back to the finished and perfect work Jesus completed for me. His grace weaves my failures, blow-ups, and do-overs into a beautiful tapestry for His glory.
Run to Him. Ask Him to remind your soul of His steadfast love and new mercies! Accept the renewal He so generously offers!
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24