I expect many of you have heard the expression, “With the New Year we all get a clean slate”. Some will remember that before exercise books, pencils and rubbers children at school would write with a slate pencil on a slate.
One of the problems with a slate was that when you had made a mistake you couldn’t simply rub that mistake out. Your mistake was there in front of you and so it was impossible to forget it. Only when the slate was completely filled up were you allowed to wipe the slate clean. The term, ” a clean slate” referred to starting all over again.
As we move forward into this new year we think of new resolutions, new goals, putting things right, wiping out past mistakes. We think about doing those things but do we really make any effective changes in our lives? For most of us 2017 only gives a fresh start our old habits.
There is, however, someone who came into our world to wipe our slates clean, to give us a new start and to teach us his ways. We celebrated his birth a short while ago. His name is Jesus. At the beginning of the year why not put your faith in him and see what changes he can make for you?
Jesus said to a sinful woman, “Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:48,50)
May you all know the peace of God in your lives in 2017.
Dave