New Pencils

Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.

This is a quote that I’ve always loved from the movie, You’ve Got Mail.
I think about it this time of year when I see mothers and children in the back to school aisle.
I see them with their lists.
I see them with their shopping carts and I remember.

I remember the days of taking my five children to go school supply shopping.
I would literally designate a corner of the shopping cart for each child.
There was also a pile in the middle of the cart as well.
I could easily tell you what pile was for each child based on their choices.

Colors of folders, colors of notebooks, and the size of pile itself gave it away.
Pencils, crayons, markers, pencil boxes were all specifically chosen.
There was something about coming home and putting their school supplies in their rooms.
The pile sat there until it was time to put the items in their backpack.

Choosing a lunchbox was always exciting for them.
Their personality shined through that choice as well.
As they got older, paper bags were used instead of a lunchbox.
I remember the days when five lunches were lined up on the kitchen island.

What is it about new school supplies?
What is it about clean pages in notebooks?
What is it about folders that are not creased or torn?
What is it about newly sharpened pencils?

Oh, the possibilities.
Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it, yet. (Lucy Maud Montgomery)
New school supplies means a fresh start.
A new beginning; a path wide open before you.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

We are in Christ when we come to Him in faith for our salvation.
We are made new.
The old is gone.
The new has come.

Like the purchase of new school supplies, we have a fresh start.
We have freedom in Christ.
We have newness in our walk with Him.
We are made new.

I can imagine what the school supplies will look like in a few weeks.
The new look would be gone.
They will lose their pristine appearance.
If the school supplies stayed new, that would mean they were not being used.

New sneakers are pristine.
There is no dirt on the sole.
There are no creases from the steps we take.
They are out-of-the-box clean.

If sneakers look pristine, they are not being worn.
If notebook pages remain clean, they are not fulfilling their function.
If folders have no extra creases or tears, they are not holding papers as they were designed.
If pencils remain sharp, they may make a good bouquet, but they are not being used.

I want to be a Christ follower with dirty shoes.
I want to be a Jesus lover with creases and tears.
I want my pencil points to be dull and in need of sharpening by His Word.
I want to be used by Him as He makes me new.

In school supplies and in life, we cannot simply sit on a shelf.
We are a new creation.
We have a new beginning.
The old has gone the new has come.

A fresh start awaits us, with forgiveness when we repent of our sin.
We are a bouquet of used pencils, made beautiful in Him.
We are to be used.
There is work to be done so that others will know Him.

2 responses to “New Pencils”

1. So true! It’s nice to start out new, but we have to get some dirt on us to show our life experiences.. God makes us new when we believe in Jesus, but we will have to keep renewing our faith as we encounter difficult times along the way..

   Reply

   • Amen, Sue!

     Reply