Each New Day Afresh

I don’t know about you, but I love new beginnings. An unopened notebook, freshly washed sheets, a never-seen-before sunset. Oh, I enjoy used and loved things too, but there is something inspiring about pure and untainted.

Each day is like that. As L.M. Montgomery says in Anne of Green Gables, “Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it yet.” Every day we wake up, we have a new opportunity to do the right things and follow after Christ.

One way we do that is by overlooking offenses. If a new day isn’t filled with our mistakes yet, it shouldn’t be filled with others. It can be hard to forget the wrongs people do against us, but don’t wreck the beauty of a fresh day by tainting it with unforgiveness.

In Ephesians 4, there is a section of Scripture entitled, “New Life” (Ch. 4:17-24). When we are saved, we become a new creation. Our goals, desires, and entire lives should look differently than they did before. No longer slaves of sin, we are slaves of righteousness. That passage goes on to say:

25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
27 and give no opportunity to the devil.

It continues on: let no corrupting talk come out of your mouth and do not grieve the Holy Spirit, but instead:

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

As we try to model Christ, we turn the other cheek. We watch our tongues. We speak truth in love, and we do not let the sun go down on our anger. We start each new day afresh – with a heart of forgiveness.

And so, this is how I recently came up with my 24 hour rule. When someone offends me, I let myself have 24 hours to (respectfully) vent it to my husband, decide if it needs to be addressed, cry if it hurt my feelings, or do whatever I need to do to resolve the situation. Then, I move on. No more talking about it or letting myself think about it. It’s over, and I need to give it back to God.

Then, I can enjoy a never-before-seen sunset without anger infringing on the beauty of the moment. I can just breath in the fresh air, and feel the sun on my face, knowing that tomorrow is another new day – fresh, with no mistakes.

© Grace Baeten 2021