One of the greatest parts about getting Christmas presents is the strange joy that comes from popping a tag off a new pair of jeans or jacket or unboxing the new device/toy and powering it up for the first time. There is something mysteriously euphoric about the feeling of getting something new.
I’m not sure all that is physiological in this phenomenon, but I know it has something to do with the dopamine released in the body and the pleasure center of the brain when this happens. Even if we don’t LOVE getting gifts, everyone has a similar experience when getting something new.
Regardless of the science, I’m intrigued by the human nature that is drawn to the NEW. Whether it’s a grown man with a new pickup (me) or a toddler with a hand-me-down toy, the response is universal. I’m sure you’ve experienced this in some capacity this Christmas.
But what happens when the shine dulls, the clean dirties, or the freshness fades?
Well, for most people, it just becomes old and eventually not desirable. The constant allure of something NEW is a never-ending cycle. And the reality is that NOTHING in this world satisfies that need for perpetual newness!
Scripture speaks to this struggle but gives us two things that will outlast everything else and one thing that is NEW every day. How cool is that?!!?
“…All flesh is like grass, and beauty is like the flower of the field…the grass withers and the flower fade, but the WORD OF OUR GOD STANDS FOREVER.” – Isaiah 40:6-8 (my paraphrase)
Then check this out:
“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are NEW every morning…” (Lamentations 3:32-33)
These two elements give us this idea: All of humanity will eventually fade but 2 things are forever, and 1 thing is always refreshing: God’s love and his word have no end. God’s goodness (mercies) is NEW every morning.
So, if we are drawn to the new, crave the fresh, desire the latest, then why not BUY-IN to the unfailing WORD of God, BELIEVE IN the limitless LOVE of God, and SEEK the ONLY thing that is new each day we wake up?!
As we enter this new year, we’ll look at some different aspects of this whole idea and see how it can help us navigate the trip around the globe a little differently. Maybe you can start with unwrapping the something that gets new over and over again!
#NewGetsOld
#StayFresh
#RestoringWholenessOfLife
Brett
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