Resolutions Revisited

Re: pref. Again; anew: rebuild. Backward; back: react. Used as an intensive: refine.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. Save the planet. Go Green. We've all heard these sayings for years.  And I'm sure most of us have tried in one way or another to do our share. Whether it's by recycling cans, reusing cloth bags at the store or reducing our overall waste by buying Eco friendly products.  I understand the sense of urgency to reduce our carbon footprint on this world. Mother Earth is gagging at the volume & stench of what we've been feeding her by the mouthful for centuries. She's getting buried alive in muck, junk & garbage.
What if this is a metaphor for our lives. Our bodies or souls are representative of the proverbial, "Mother Earth" and our sins & transgressions are like the excessive amounts of garbage we try to get rid of. We pollute ourselves with delusions of selfish desires, sinning by nature.  In this parallel I'm drawing, God is the ultimate recycler, I mean, he did make man from dirt. He has the ability to take our previous transgressions and transfrom them, take something that was awfully ugly and make it beautiful and new. You no longer need to simply attempt to throw it away, which only allows it to pile up, you can take what you've done and change it permanently into something good.

atone·ment noun \ə-ˈtōn-mənt\: amends or reparation made for an injury or wrong; expiation. The reconciliation of God and humankind through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.
 
Think about the thoughts or actions that you're less than pleased with; try as you might to shove it in the bottom of the garbage can of your heart or mind, the stench still remains acting as a reminder of your mistakes. Self loathing, pity and remorse allows you to wallow in your mistakes like a pit of sticky tar, unable to free yourself from the past. But, if you can just see yourself the way God looks at us though his atonement, you would see grace & love abound. No shame or guilt are necessary anymore. Your heart is free from that sticky tar and now in its place is a trampoline allowing you to bounce freely through the air, reaching up toward the Son. Through His Blood we are made new, clean, bright & shiny again with a new purpose; reclaimed, re-designated, reconciled and reclaimed. Save yourself a trip to the landfill of condemnation and see what He has seen in you all along.  He can transform your past through his atonement and give you, not just a change of heart but a new one.
This illustration, that was drawn by my Grandma "Nana", helps to explain what happens when our sins, faults or failures obscure our view of the way God sees us.

Man's view only sees his sins, faults & failures.
God's view takes those sins, faults & failures and transcends them through His atonement and only sees our holiness, purity, success & promises but first we must commit to following Him and His word.

Without Christ, we're like compost that never gets used to fertilize a garden, which let's face it- just means we're a pile of crap. :oO


tran·scend verb \tran(t)-ˈsend\: to rise above or go beyond the limits of.  To triumph over the negative or restrictive aspects of : overcome.  To rise above or extend notably beyond ordinary limits.