God Bless You In the New

Over the last 13 years, you have done a lot of new things.
Of course, every day is new in some sense, but year after year you made new friends, started new
hobbies, played new sports, tried new looks, and honestly, you have all become new people.

You should not be the same person you were when your parents dropped you off in kindergarten,
and it is thousands of new things that brought you to where you are today.

Here are a few to spark your memory. (And these are averages, so don’t get at me over the numbers).

-Over 30 new pairs of shoes… although some of you have done that in a year.
-Around 100 new haircuts.
-Met over 2,000 new people.
-Learned from about 80 new teachers.
-Probably been added to 50 new group chats.
-Had 10 new best friends.
-Created around 200 new passwords (because the requirements somehow keep getting more ridiculous).
-And far above the rest, you’ve probably carried over 10,000 new worries.

These 13 years have been full of “new.”

And now you’ve come to this point where you’re not even really sure what “new” is going to look like anymore.
Honestly, let’s make that 10,001 worries because I’m sure every one of you feels some level of uncertainty
about what comes next.

But here is the thing I want you to hold onto:
You were created by a God who loves making things new.

God’s entire redemptive plan is to make all things new.
“Behold, I am making all things new” (Rev. 21:5).

He desires to make you a new creation.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).

To call you into a new way of life.
“You must be born again” (John 3:3).

And then this declaration from God Himself:
“Behold, I am doing a new thing” (Isa. 43:19).

It is completely fair to be nervous going into this next stage of life. It feels like once you walk across this
stage there are endless possibilities both to succeed and to fail. That is daunting. That is worthy of worry.

But the same God who walked with you through every new moment up to this point is available to you in
this coming one.

The truth is, in this life you cannot escape the “new” .. neither should you want to.
But the beauty of walking with Christ is that when we invite Him into our lives, not only are we able to
walk confidently into the new things in front of us, but we are also given eyes to see the new things
God Himself is doing.

So, my prayer for you is this:

That you would know the God who created all things. That you would know the God who gave His life for you on the cross.
And that as you step into this new stage of life, you would walk closely with Him so that you do not miss
the new things He is doing around you and within you.

It is okay to miss someone’s new haircut (unless it is someone you have a crush on). It is okay to forget a few
hundred of the thousands of people you met in school. But may you never miss the new things that God is doing.
Because when you notice them, trust Him in them, and step into them, your life will truly be transformed.

God bless you in the “new”.
-Jamie Gaida | Youth Pastor at Sherwood Park Alliance Church & SCA Secondary Campus Pastor