Remember the Miracle
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!”
2 Corinthians 5:11-21
Throughout his life, my son has had a number of food allergies, among them dairy and wheat. When he was four, an ice cream cone caused his cheeks to swell like the proverbial chipmunk. When he was five, a few minutes with Play-Doh marked his hands with an angry rash.
My son is nine now, and tonight I will make him a pizza. He'll stick with dairy-free cheese, of course, because he still has trouble with dairy. And we'll be sure, as always, to keep the tree nuts and peanuts away, but that wheat-filled crust will no longer hurt him.
His nine-year-old body is becoming new, and we break bread together now.
For my son, the old has gone, and the new has come. Our prayer is that it keeps on coming, and that soon every one of his food allergies will disappear. His healing has already begun, but it is a mysterious and unseen process. He looks just the same to me, but our old reality is gradually being transformed.
It's easy to forget this. The other day, just before sticking my bread knife back into the jam jar, I gasped and then remembered: these breadcrumbs won't hurt him anymore! Recently, when my daughter was making cookies after school, I heard her cry out from within the cloud of flour billowing from her bowl, "Oh, Mom! I almost forgot! It's okay now."
It's surprising how quickly we fall back into old patterns of caution and fear. Paul's exclamation in verse 17 has more meaning for me now. I know how easy it is to forget the hidden miracle of inner transformation.
When death and darkness seem in control, we need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the unseen truth. Wake up! Look! Remember! The old has gone! The new has come!
Once and for all, we have been reconciled to God through Christ. We have been healed.
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION:
Are there areas of your life where you've forgotten that the righteousness of God is yours? How might you allow the truth of your reconciliation to become apparent in those places?
PRAYER:
Dear Father in Heaven, open my eyes to the unseen. Help me to fully abandon old, sinful patterns and live in the light of your love. Amen.
