Today’s scripture: Romans 5:18-6:4 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Melody Merida):
When I was a kid we played kickball in the field behind our house almost daily. Several kids from the neighborhood would gather at our house in the summer mornings and we would divide up into teams. There were usually about 8 or 10 of us so the teams were small but that didn’t matter to us. We would use some old carpet squares or some large trash we found as bases. Of course, those bases moved several times throughout the game as the wind shifted this way and that.
The great thing about playing with my neighborhood friends was the way they so willingly agreed to the “do-over”. If the ball rolled off the side of your foot and you couldn’t get a good kick, you just had to shout “do over” and you’d get another shot at it. Often times, when a particularly young neighbor kid showed up to play they would get 5 or 6 “do-overs” every time they were up to kick. It made the game a little slow, but we didn’t mind when we had all day to play.
Now that I’m an adult in the game of life I often find myself wishing that I had the chance for a “do-over”. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just rewind sometimes and try all over again? Wouldn’t it be amazing to get a fresh start after we’ve messed up?
Well, the good news is that we can! The last verse of our scripture reading for today reminds me that because Jesus did away with the finality of death, nothing else has to be final either. Because Christ was raised from the dead we have been offered the gift of newness of life — essentially its one big do-over! The resurrection story is meant to be lived out in us, daily. Each day we have the chance to be made new, to be reborn. Today, and every day, because of the resurrection of Christ, you get a do-over!
Thought for the day: Where is newness needed in your life? Live the resurrection story today. Today is the day of the do-over!
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.