I had the wonderful opportunity to get to read another great book from Thomas Nelson publishers called Fresh Start by Doug Fields. The title is pretty self-explanatory. I picture our days much like an Etch a Sketch. It begins when we awake each morning and everything we do and everything we say are recorded as a series of lines that are drawn on the Etch a Sketch.
However sometimes we make some bad choices or say things we know we shouldn’t have or thought things if we didn’t get around to saying them, which is just as bad. We begin to wish we could have a clean slate so we could begin again and make better choices. So we shake our Etch a Sketch up and down several times until the slate is once again empty and our life picks up right where we left off only those choice we made are forgiven through our confessions to Jesus Christ.
“Yet sometimes it seems as if it’s not that easy, it would be great if it was and that is where this book comes in. It is an invitation from God for a “fresh start” to a great life.
“It is an encouragement for us to pay attention to how short life is. Instead of blaming time as though it has a will of its own, we need to take responsibility and be good stewards of the time God gives us.
To do this we need help. This is where a prayer like the one found in Psalm 90:12 comes into play: “teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom.”
That verse summarizes the theme of this book. We don’t want to be people stuck in whatever is holding us back. We want to live each day with the newness and abundance of life that Christ offers us. May God help us identify the true values in life – what matters most – and then give us the power to spend our time on those values.” (Pg. 182)
I found that while reading this book, I was able to deal with so many levels of things I had been holding onto like past grudges against people who had made my life miserable. Yet, what I discovered was that they had all moved on and I was still holding on to those past pains. This book helped me clear the slate so to speak and even if I never speak to these people again, I can feel confident that with God's help I have made my own fresh start. I am free, really free.
The best part of this book was on anger, discouragement and forgiveness. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that wants the feeling of freedom from past pain, grudges, despair, discouragement, bitterness and anger. Let this book along with God, help you start over again, fresh!
Without living out that prayer, many of us will squander our lives pursuing the values of the world. So if you are stuck dealing with frustration, anger, discouragement, fearful, worried or just unable to move forward because of something that is holding you back, this book is designed to help you break free and have that fresh start you have been seeking. Remember it’s never too late for a fresh start!
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