All Things New

How is it possible to make all things new?

Perspective

Everything we encounter is interpreted exclusively by each person, even when more than one person is experiencing the same event. I noticed an announcement for some corrective lenses for color blindness and was instantly reminded that even the way some people look at a particular object can differ. You see blue and black. She sees white and gold.

Many people who have suffered abuse see the world as harsh and lack hope. A person suffering from depression looks around and sees their home as a miserable mess. Another person sees a great house with some need of attention. Add a little energy and the place looks fresh. Even the person suffering from depression says, “Hmm. I have a nice house.” They have a new perspective.

Focus

If you and I sit across the table from one another, you will see all that is behind me outside of my ability to see. I will see behind you, as well. We can focus on each other and we can focus on what the other cannot. On occasion, the unexpected can derail our focus. If another person enters, a dog barks, a siren sounds, a spill occurs, one or both of us may well be distracted.

We each choose the intensity of our focus. We choose, for the most part, what we will focus on and we decide how much energy and attention to give everything. When we focus on creating something new, there will be opposition. That is just a fact of life.

Resolve

I have a small business. When we decide on new things related to the business, we write resolutions. They start off with the term, “Be it resolved…” It is like saying there is something we want to make new, so we enumerate the issue(s) that must change and we seek to solve them. It is a written determination for a goal. Some people write New Years Resolutions. Few stick to them. Resolve requires more than desire. It requires more than accountability.

Resolve requires desire and accountability, but it takes resources too. To create resolve, a careful evaluation of every aspect of the goal is considered. Of course, there are unforeseen factors that can get in the way, but usually with enough resolve, they are hurdles to be overcome, not barriers. If I need to sell a house to pay an investor, I must consider all of the aspects of the condition of the property, costs, logistics, the location, and the market.

Environment

All of the things that I’ve written about here are constructs of imagination. They are cognitive in nature, totally personal and internal. Environment is external, still a matter of individual perception, to be sure, but it is more tangible. A dining room with a table and eight chairs is hardly debatable. An agitated host at a party may be less concrete. Perhaps, on guest has no such indication, but another is very put off to the point of wishing to leave.

When we desire to make all things new, we have choices. We can choose. That is a freedom many people don’t know about. Even in bondage, people choose how they will respond. In my life, I have had many choices. I have chosen well and I have chosen poorly. I have created good things and bad things, helped and hurt, instilled confidence and sometimes, incited confusion. Our choices help create the environment around us. The choices we make impact more that ourselves. They impact all the people around us.

Change

Making all things new is really about change. Moving to a new home is a huge change. Repairing a broken relationship is a different kind of change. Starting a new project or a new job or buying new furniture are all changes that give us new perspective, rearrange our focus and require resolve to make happen.

Change happens in a conducive environment. As we begin a new season in life, let us always evaluate the various aspects of the changes we want to make and make sure that we have looked at the implications for ourselves and for those in relationships with us. If you feel stuck, change something. Life is short. Oh, I know the days are often long, but the years are very short. It takes a good deal of thought, effort and energy to live it well.

Let’s be co-workers together and make all things new.