Jen’s Gem: The Truth will set you free.
This week my childhood desk and a bookshelf got a makeover. Nothing extravagant. They were just repainted. It’s amazing what a can of paint will do! Of course the painter filled in the scuffs and dings, sanded down each piece so now both are smooth as a baby’s bottom.
I’ve had this desk since I was a child. It was not always in my possession however. For many years, its home was the basement of my parent’s house in Long Island. When I rediscovered it many, many years ago, I scooped it up and brought it back to its rightful owner. Its original color was a brick red so it truly looked like a small schoolhouse desk.
This desk has seen a lot of activity. In recent years, it was where I read my Bible, penned journal entries, and did my freelance work. It also served as a remote learning area for my daughter when she returned home from college during the quarantine.
There are not many possessions I have that I treasure but this is one of them. When I was moving from my home to our condo, it was easy for me to let go of a lot of things. Not this. I joked with my daughter last night that perhaps one day my grandchildren will sit at this desk. Wouldn’t that be something?
Now that it’s all spiffed up, it is ready to face new activities. The dings from the past are gone. A new season awaits this much-loved piece. Like my desk, I’m ready for a new season.
In about one week’s time, I will have completed my Bachelors degree in Theology. For the past four years, I have spent my Monday evenings digging into Biblical truths, unraveling misconceptions, and discovering who I am in God’s eyes. Yesterday I drafted my very last paper.
I’ve been asked by many, “So what are you going to do with this degree?” The honest answer is I don’t know. I don’t typically start projects where I don’t know the end result. You see, when I began these classes, my only goal was to deepen my knowledge of the Bible. I recall saying to a friend during a particularly difficult time, “I just want to know the truth.”
“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32 NKJV)
I recently began re-reading the book of Romans. The introduction states that without a full understanding of this book, you may struggle with who you are as a believer in Jesus and you might miss the blessings that are afforded to you. The book outlines the difference between your “who” and your “do.”
Whether I have fifteen degrees hanging on my wall or just one, God loves me the same. Whether I have ten titles after my name or just one, God loves me the same. Nothing can separate me or you from God’s love. Nothing. (Romans 8:37-39)
I didn’t know this truth years ago when I was floundering, drowning really. Today I know it and share it with others so they can know, so they can be made new, so they can get a makeover. Just like my little desk.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
Are you ready for a new season? Do you need a fresh coat of paint? Or perhaps you have some dings and scuffs that need to be smoothed out. Maybe there’s some doubt or confusion about who God is, who His Son is, and how much you are loved.
These answers lie between the pages of Genesis and Revelation. Each book contains one makeover story after another with Jesus as the painter. Perhaps that’s what these past four years have been all about – my own makeover.
Maybe yours is in there too. Are you ready for your makeover? Let me know if I can help.