Born again

Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'"
John 3:3-7

Several friends or acquaintances of mine have had babies in the past couple weeks. For the families, it's a time of excitement and joy, the fulfillment of long months of waiting. The babies themselves are beautiful, intact and perfect, perhaps with their mother's nose or their father's eyes. But so much of the joy of this occasion lies in anticipation: the baby is a clean slate, humble and full of possibility. It is a life just begun, with no long list of sins and no pride keeping it from dependence on God and family. There is no claim to wisdom or greatness in a baby, nothing but potential.

So, too, must we be. We must come to a place spiritually of humility and dependence, letting the blood of Christ wipe away the sins of the past and declare us new. And, in that place, we are full of beautiful potential in the eyes of our own Father.