Do Overs

It snowed this past weekend.
My husband and I were supposed to go to our high school reunion.
Since the roads were slippery, and we were not plowed out, we had to miss it.

Thinking about the classmates I might have seen made me reminisce a bit.

We had to wear uniforms in our high school.
The girls had to wear navy blue jumpers with blue, button down blouses underneath.
We had to wear knee high socks…eventually graduating to stockings.
We finished our look with saddle shoes.

For those of you who may not not what they are…saddle shoes are a classic white Oxford shoe with a literal saddle shape in the center of the foot, usually in black.

Our uniforms were a required length.
If there was a question about the length, you had to kneel down with your back straight.
The tips of your fingers had to hit the edge of your hemline.
If it didn’t…your hem was too short.
You were sent home to have the hemline adjusted.

In my junior year, earth shoes became popular.
A Danish shoe designer invented them in the 1970’s.
They were known as the “negative heel” shoe…thick soles with thin heels.
When you walked in the shoe, you walked heel down.

They made earth shoe saddle shoes.
I had a pair.
For whatever reason, I remembered that as I lay in bed…the night of our missed reunion.
I cringed.

I am tall…and wear size 10 shoes.
My earth shoes, at least in my memory, resembled clown shoes.
At the time, I thought they were wonderful and very trendy.

How I wish I could have a do-over!
Go back and re-do a few things.

Like:
Putting Sun-In on my hair to get highlights…but finding that it turned my hair orange!
Getting a perm at the end of sophomore year that smelled like rotten eggs for a week!
Wearing a yellow dress to my junior prom when I don’t like the color yellow.

Insignificant things…in the scheme of things…but things that make me cringe nonetheless…when I look back.

I will remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion therefore  I will wait for Him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
(Lamentations 3:21-26)

The world does not give us do-overs.
The world is ready and willing to point out our mistakes.
The world delights in spotlighting our errors…highlighting our failures.

Not so the Lord.

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:8-12)

In Him, we do not need do-overs because, in Him, we have a clean slate every morning.
Our past sins are removed…when they are confessed.
They are completely forgiven.

Imagine a globe.
Put your finger on point as far east as you can imagine.
Now put your finger on a point as far west as you can imagine.
Your two fingers, will never meet.
They will always be hemispheres apart.

So, too, our sin.

You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:18,19)

How blessed we are!

We enter a New Year knowing that do-overs are not necessary.
Not necessary…because He makes everything new!
New every morning!

Great is Your faithfulness!

We can enter the New Year with hopeful anticipation.
We can enter the New Year confident that the world’s megaphone will be drowned out by by compassionate voice of the Lord.

Today is a new day!
I am right here with you!