2-16-20 The New You

Quote: “If you hear people from my past speak of me… keep in mind they are speaking of a person they don’t even know anymore.”

Everyone has at least one skeleton in their closet.  Some of us have enough to decorate a haunted house…me included.

There are many years in my life where I look back and I’m kind of embarrassed of the choices I made.  Heck, there are habits and hang-ups that I am dealing with now privately that no one knows about that daily drive me crazy!

I saw this Denzel Washington post one time and I saved it in my “Favorites” in my photos.  I came across it this past week and I still smile every time I read it.  All of us are a work in progress – emotionally, spiritually, mentally, physically.  But sometimes someone comes along and reminds you (and usually others) of all your past mistakes and it makes you go to a dark place.  No one wants to be reminded of when they were insecure or were making the same stupid choices over and over.  You wouldn’t want all your skeletons out for display.  So why do we do that to others?

One time I had to tell someone, “Please don’t bring old Danielle up.  I don’t like her.  It reminds me of how broken I was. It doesn’t feel very good.”  I want to focus on the new, improved version of myself.  It hurts our identity when we are constantly reminded of who we used to be.

I saw my roommate from college not too long ago.  She knows about a lot of those skeletons from my college days.  And not once does she bring old Danielle up.  She reminds me with her smile that she was one of my first real friends, the kind that loves and supports the new Danielle, despite knowing who the old Danielle was.  We need to surround ourselves with those kind of people.

I think all of us should walk around proudly with yellow caution tape draped all over us that says, “Under construction!”  It would say to others, hey, I don’t have this whole life thing figured out and I probably never will.  But I’m sure going to spend the rest of my life trying!  The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old has gone, the new is here!”  Do you see why so many of us cling to verses like this one to get through life?!  This verse screams hope and new life.  God doesn’t see the old version.  He only sees the new.

Walk confidently in that newness.  Never give up trying to improve yourself.  Just be the new you.