Truly “Born Again”

I know that almost everyone who has spent time with young children has been blessed by their fresh perspective. They notice things that we, as adults, take for granted. The sky is blue, the daffodils are yellow, and a myriad of other things are said that we know, but we do not think of. These are beautiful reminders, because realizing that the sky is blue is a beautiful thing. It is so encouraging to be reminded of these simple things because they are simple and wonderful.

Being around someone who is a baby Christian can make you experience the same kind of encouragement. It is almost like God knew what he was doing when he said we would be “born again.” It is such a blessing to reminded of those basic and beautiful things about God. So often we have begun to walk with God and have found it become normal, which it ought to be normal. But we forget that awe we had at discovering God’s goodness. We forget the first time we heard that God is our lover. We forget his death, burial, and resurrection. We forget how that simple, beautiful, and very strange story transformed our lives and our priorities.

By far that has been the most awesome thing. Watching someone grow in a relationship with God. It is like some sort of addictive drug. There is so much joy wrapped up in seeing a person stop feeling mean, beginning to understand what it means to love, figure out priorities, be excited about connecting with other believers, having conversations that are spontaneously and sincerely spiritual. The list goes on and on. And these are the kinds of thing I have stopped noticing and have become so accustomed to that I don’t revel in them the way a new Christian does.

I can’t wait to see more people hear the message that Christ came that we might “have life and have it to the full.” Life in a person who did not have it before is one of the most exciting and beautiful things I think I have ever come across. I saw it in Japan and here in the U.S. And every time it happens I wonder how on earth I had forgotten the glory of it all and God’s transforming power in the life of a person.