Change is in the wind...

It's almost that time of year again. Fall. Fall always makes me think of change. people usually move in the fall, last years graduating class takes off for school. There's just always new stuff going on.

I have this strong feeling that this fall is going to bring some major change in my life. Some of it scary change and some of it good change. For example, on September 5th Jenny and Janelle will both be leaving for their first year of Bible school. It's a little sad for me because I feel like I've grown so close to them this past year. On the other hand on Sunday I met Anna, she's new to town and I have a feeling that we are going to be great friends!

I'm thankful that in an everchanging world God will always remain the same. I really like having something constant in my life. I cling to that in the changes that scare me.

It's going to be a good year though, I can tell!

Dear James Ranson,

It seems to me that at one point you may have read my blog, although I could be wrong. It appears that I can't e-mail you so I thought maybe this would be a good way to get in contact with you.

I just wanted to let you know that Cory and I are going to be at Healing Hearts on Sunday morning, so you can do with that information what you will. I'll have something for you from Silver Birch probably. Just so you know.

Hope you are doing alright.

Joni

The old...remains?

(New Living Version)
"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"

(Contemporary English Version)
Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.

(King James Version)
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

(Amplified Bible)
Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

No matter which translation I read it in 2 Corinthians 5:17 seems to being saying the same thing to me...when you accept Christ into your life and in return give Him yours there's supposed to be a drastic change in you. The old has passed away, how did the CEV put it? "The past is forgotton." What about when your past keeps hitting you in the face?

And I'm not even talking about temptation to sin. I more mean when the past...haunts you, so to speak, and causes you to feel a way that you know God never intended for your life. When Adam and Eve were created and placed in the garden they didn't know what it felt like to be ashamed, or rejected, or unloved, or unwanted. That all came after the fall of man and all of those will pass away when the new Heaven and Earth are set in place. But we live in a fallen world, these are part of our life. Yet I'm supposed to be a "new creation", all those old things are to be gone; passed away; forgotton. Still I come to the same question: what about when they are constantly being brought before you again and again?

It's gets exhausting to fight it. Inevitably someone will do or say something that brings up all these horrible feelings from my past. Sometimes I don't even know what triggered them, they just jump up and shout, "SURPRISE! Now deal with it in a godly manner." Maybe it comes down to believing I am who Christ says I am through Him...maybe I don't really believe that in my heart and in my spirit.

I'm probably not making sense, I need to think about this more and spend some more time in the Word about it. Hmmm...