Something new. See, a lot of people think about newness around the beginning of the New Year, when we’re setting resolutions and considering the new year and all of the possibilities that it holds. But really, you know when I think of something new? I think of it in Spring, when I start to see all of the growth around me, the new life and fresh creations springing up.

We have this nest on our Sunroom. Every year for as long as we’ve had it, these birds have nested there, and every spring, we get two or three families using the nest. There is even a possibility that some babies born in that nest have come back to nest in that very same nest. Every season, birds come, and repair the damage that winter has caused, and then create new life, eggs that hatch. That, to me, is when things are new, when I see the newness of God’s creation.

We constantly seem to want “new” things in life. I know I’m not alone in seeing the newest version of the smartphone I use being released and wanting desperately to upgrade for a few new features. When I was feeling stuck in a rut, I went and got a new haircut, thinking that the newness would help me feel transformed and shake things up.

So many times, we want a new purse for the new season, or a new swimsuit for spring break, or new new new. But we so often fail to realize that, no matter how many external things we change, we really can’t change some things.

I mean, think about it. You can change your clothing, but you’re still you under that clothing. You can get a new haircut or a new phone, but it’s still you in there. You still have all of those same things you struggle with, your same fears, insecurities, worries about the past or the future, concerns about life in general. No matter how many things you change, from your gadgets to your clothing, are really going to transform the you that is inside of you.

To be honest, all of those external changes really just don’t do a lot. However, there is one great way to get new life, to become a NEW you, to have that new creation feeling.

The Bible makes it clear how we can get that new life. It happens in Jesus Christ. When we go to Him (or return to Him, depending on where you’re at in your journey), you can have that internal change. It isn’t a change on the outside, and it may seem less subtle than new clothes or a new haircut. You’ll still look like you, but you’ll have this new internal buzz.

See, when you find, or even re-find, Christ, you become someone new. It’s in Christ that we can fully experience love, joy, hope… peace. True peace. That inspiration comes fully from Christ, that TRUE God-love, that God-joy, and God-hope, and God-peace. The kind that you just can’t get without Him.

While of course, if you want that new smartphone or that new haircut, you should get it if you have the ability, it will not change how you feel inside. That executive with the 6 figure income, snappy suit, and great hair? He may be rotting inside, miserable, hopeless, stuck in a cycle of sin he can’t break out of. But the hobo on the corner that the executive tosses a nickel to? He may be happy, despite his disheveled clothing and scraggly beard. Outward appearance isn’t an indicator of an inward spiritual gain.

I think sometimes we get so caught up in things… how we look. That new bikini we want to fit into. That new purse we have to have. I do it, too. And those things are okay. Don’t get me wrong. But we’re so hung up on this world, and how we look and what we have, that we’re missing the point of what new life, new creation, newness is really all about.

You have to consider what new, amazing life you can have when you have Jesus. Think about what he said in John 10:10, “I came that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.” Wow. I mean, that, beyond just having life, God wants us to have ABUNDANT life. That’s powerful. That’s a very full life.

I think a big example of the full extent of this new life comes in John 2:19. Think about an old house. You see it there, maybe on your evening walk. There are shingles missing, entire door frames falling apart, rotting wood. You know there’s probably some internal damage, that the house just isn’t what it used to be. Rather than taking and renovating that house, Jesus describes a complete rebuilding. An entirely new creation, something new that wasn’t there, a rebuilt life rather than a renovated one. We can sit and make little changes, but until we are rebuilt, a NEW creation, we will always find something missing in our lives.

It’s time for something new. Spring is the perfect time for that newness. See, I’m sure by now, a lot of you have your New Years Resolutions going one of two ways: either you’ve abandoned them entirely, or you’ve been working on them enough that they’ve become a new habit in your life, rather than a short-term goal you made. Because of that, it’s time to set some new goals, and replenish that newness.

Not in the short term, not something like weight loss, or quitting smoking, though things like that are admirable. But to be honest, as Christians, we have a lifetime goal. This is a resolution that you keep your entire life.

When you’re a new creation, new in Christ, a completely rebuilt structure, it’s time to share with the world your new life. We want to live life with purpose. Our God given purpose is to see everything in the light of that NEW life, NEW creation we are. That doesn’t mean you have to be preachy all the time, and go shunning friends who don’t agree with you or going all Westboro Baptist Church on anyone. It means that you have to be concerned with the welfare of the soul of those around you, and even those not around you.

An ambassador for Christ, which all of us should be, as a new creation in him, knows the heart of Christ, and stays in constant communication with Christ through prayer and action. An ambassador for Christ will keep his heart set on Christ’s interests, and represent Christ. That ambassador is ready to be with Christ at a moment’s notice. If we are only living for the here, the now, this earth, then we’re betraying God’s trust with our behavior and actions. As a new creation, we have to consider C.S. Lewis’s words: “All that is not eternal is eternally useless.” It’s true, those eternal things are what matter the most.

Anyone in Christ will be experiencing the newness of life every day. By putting your trust in Christ, by relying on him, you have that newness. Because we’ve all fallen short of the glory of God, by knowing we’d never be good enough by our own efforts, we HAVE to have a change of heart to fully become new.

We have to make that heart change, not a surface change, to be a new creation in Christ. Without that, we’ll never make it.

So yeah, buy your new Spring break swimsuit. Find a cute new haircut that you love. But this spring, when you’re looking around at all of the newness of life, seeing the new birds and new flowers and new life, it’s time to renew our hearts, too. It’s time to not just renovate, but rebuild. It’s time for us to focus on being a new creation in Christ, and sharing that newness with others, from the inside out, making an internal change, not just for this season, but for good.

I’ve designed this printable of a verse that really rings true to me, in 8×10, and in 4 colors. You can print it, hang it somewhere visible, or just keep it somewhere safe to remind you of this new life. Remember that, in a season of all things new, this is a forever thing, to be New in Christ.

You can download the printables here, choose your favorite, and print.