Do you enjoy the feeling of turning over to a new page in your notebook or journal? There in front of you is a fresh, blank page, full of potential. It can also be a slightly nerve-wracking feeling if you’re worried about making a mistake and ruining that pristine page. We can feel the same way about our lives. Every day God gives us the chance and the choice to make a fresh start. In Acts 3, after Paul had healed the man who couldn’t walk, the people who saw the miracle crowded round Peter and John. Peter said to them: ‘Brothers and sisters, I know you did those things to Jesus because neither you nor you leaders understood what you were doing…you must change your hearts and lives! Come back to God, and he will forgive your sins’ (Acts 3:17-19 NCV). These were the same people who had called for Jesus to be crucified, but God still invited them to turn to Him and make a fresh start with Him. And God extends the same invitation to us, regardless of the mistakes we’ve made before. Each day is a fresh opportunity to draw close to Him and allow Him to change our hearts and minds, with fresh potential to explore as we align ourselves with His will. We’re not perfect, so it’s highly likely that we’ll still make mistakes or wander away from God in some way, but we know ‘he will forgive [our] sins’. So whatever the day ahead holds for us, let’s approach it with the same feeling of turning over to a fresh page. We can’t change our past, but with God, we can change our future.

What Now?

Every morning for the next week, grab a fresh sheet of paper, and write out a short prayer devoting the new day to God. Don’t think too hard or try to make it perfect – just write honestly from your heart. Make it colourful, or decorate it, if you feel like it. (Why not share your prayers with us on one of our social media pages – search @ucbwordforyou)