Craig Clouston

No After Without Before

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

II Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

Lori was nervous about meeting Jim’s parents. Worried to the point of making herself ill, she finally said something to Jim.

His smile held compassion, “Lori, who you are today is God’s child, and what you did in the past is not who you were anyway, you’re a survivor.”

“But if they find out they’ll hate me…”

“Give them a little credit, honey. They know how Jesus changes things when He comes into someone’s life.”

“But it makes me feel dirty thinking about them knowing,” she admitted with more than a little shame.

Jim gauged his response, “They know I love you, and that’s all they need to know.”

“But what if they ask about my past!” she blurted, scared to death.

“Then we’ll tell them you had a rough adolescence and that you asked God to cover all that with His grace,” Jim said matter-of-factly.

“And you think that’ll work?!”

“Yes, I do,” he said with a confident smile.

“I still hope they never find out!”

†

Once saved, many people fear judgment of their past.

In the song, “Different Light” by Big Daddy Weave, Mike Weaver sings, ‘’Cause there’s no after without before.’

The power of God to redeem through Jesus Christ is the act of Him taking what was wrong in our lives and remaking us into a whole, new, and more closely to His plan for our lives person, not perfect but oh so much better. No one but God has the right to stand in judgment.

If we fail to allow God to use our re-creation to help others feel safe enough to ask Him to do the same for them, we deny Jesus’ redemptive power. We effectively let Satan stop us from witnessing God’s grace.

I’m not suggesting we tell everyone we meet about our past. I’m saying if God urges you to share your ‘before’ to help someone who is still lost and scared, say yes. Then smile, and tell them about it, and tell them how God made you a new creation, after!

Prayer

“I’m not proud of my past, Lord, but if someone knowing what You delivered me from will help them get set free, then I want to be willing to tell them my ‘before’, and how You changed all that. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”