Re: God

Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.~ Romans 5:11

I love the prefix "re." Think about it. Rebuild. Renew. Repair. To me, "re" means a do-over. God is the God of second chances. Today, I have the opportunity to make things right. With that relative who has the ability to drive me around the bend. With a friend I've neglected for far too long. With Joe, because I was snappy and tired this morning after a long round of midnight shift. And with God, who allows me to repent and start again.

This weekend I got a chance to reconnect with my best friend from high school. We sat at my old kitchen table and drank strong coffee and shared our hearts, our lives, our stories until the wee hours of night. Our children are grown, we've lost loved ones, and high school is a languishing memory. Thirty-five years have whisked by like a blown-out birthday wish. Yet our friendship remains unchanged and lovely to behold.
RE-union.

When I was ten years old, the Northern Lights appeared over our farmhouse. We ooohhhed and ahhhhhed at the sight of brilliant blues and greens and purples flashing against our starry Midwestern sky. Last month I gazed in awe again at the northern sky. Instead of the varied hues from my childhood experience, these Northern Lights glowed every shade of red. The sky above me pulsed crimson, ruby, and plum. Nature in all its fierce beauty. Living in Illinois, I never thought to see the Northern Lights twice in my life. But God the Divine Artist had a different idea.
RE-gift.

This morning I spent well over a half hour on the phone with my lovely, grown-up daughter. We laughed together and I handed out some wise old Mom-advice. I am so grateful for our conversations, our togetherness, our shared sense of humor. It wasn't always so. But a relationship that was once contentious has been rebuilt and we are not just mother and daughter, we are good friends.
RE-stored.                                       

Christmas-time is here. Christmas cards to write. Decorating, baking, list-making, shopping, all unfinished. Overwhelming. When I stop to breathe, I miss the anticipation and expectation that I felt as a child. I no longer care if it snows on Christmas and it seems that much of my celebration has become a chore.
RE-morse.

But in the silence of my early-early-morning coffee and devotion time, I recall that Christmas means one thing for all mankind.  God loves us with all His heart. So much that He will do anything for us. Anything. He proved that when Jesus, His Son, was born of Mary in a humble stable. Born to be like us and share in our human-ness. Born to die on a cross and save us for all eternity.

REDEMPTION. RECONCILIATION. REJOICE!

Thank you, my dear Father, for second chances. For gifts of family, friends and nature. For allowing me to begin again. Amen.