by Victoria Heinecke

In God’s eyes, you are always new.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Behold, I am making all things new.”
Revelation 21:5b English Standard Version

My friend is so excited! Her new jazz dancing shoes arrived, and she showed them to her friends on social media. Her old shoes, on the right, have all of the signs of a pair of shoes that have danced many steps. They look tired, and they probably don’t support her feet as well as when they were new. Still, she’s fond of them, along with the memories they contain.

I won’t be surprised if she puts them in a box and saves them, so she can remember the times she has danced with them.

There are times when I feel like that worn out pair of shoes. My life has been filled with many experiences – good times, bad times, and sad times.  Although I try to live in a God-pleasing way, I stumble, I repent, and I am forgiven. Then the cycle repeats, again and again and again.

Here’s the surprise:  when we feel worn out in our valleys of life, God still sees us as brand new!

“Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent.”
Luke 15:5-6 ESV

God will never cast you off! When you feel like the shoes on the right, the reality is that, in God’s eyes, you are like the shoes on the left.

Forgiven. Brand new!

He will never forsake you. That promise came with your baptism, and with water and the Word you became a precious child of God. No matter how worn out you may feel as the years go by, in God’s eyes, you are like a new pair of dance shoes. You are ready to dance through life.

And God will be with you with every step.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado