Brand New Me

So, last week, I, being the genius that I am, neglected to put on any sunscreen while I was at the pool. From 11 to 4 I sat in the ninety-five degree weather, basking in UV rays. I'm usually a stickler for applying 200+ SPF sunscreen once an hour, but last Saturday I just forgot. But don't worry- I paid for it. When I got home I discovered that my entire body was the color of a strawberry and burning as if I was rolling on hot coals. I covered myself in aloe, but it was no use. A couple days ago my skin began to peel. There are few fates more disgusting than this. My arms are slowly shedding, leaving huge red patches of raw skin. Now that we've all thrown up a little, let's talk about why I'm bothering to tell you this.

Sin is like the sun. I knew it could hurt me, but I didn't care. I basked in it for hours. I had a great time at the pool. But I didn't have a great time when I got home. I'm still suffering the consequences a week later, and it looks like I will be for at least another week. We often sin, knowing the consequences could be grave or dangerous, but we do it anyway, just for a moment of what we believe to be pleasure. Then we start to suffer the consequences. It could be anything from a light burn to a life-changing or fatal cancer. The choices we made for a moment of worldly joy will now impact every decision we made in the future. My time in the sun damaged my skin- at least two layers of it. But here's the good part:

My skin started peeling and made way for new fresh skin. God does the same thing with our sinful lives. II Corinthians 5:17 says,

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

God takes our sinful life and he buffs it away so that he can create something totally new. Though the process may be difficult (or as gross as peeling skin) God chips away at our sin until we are new, clean, and perfect. Though we may still carry freckles of sin as reminders, our new lives are stronger, better prepared, and better protected than the old.

Let's not get discouraged by our sinful lives or the difficulty of changing. Instead, let's look forward to the new life that God can create for us if we let him. Let's seek out the stronger life rather than clinging to our weaknesses.

Let's wear sunscreen.