Born Again

When we tell stories about our childhood, I am guessing that none of us ever talk about being born. We may have heard Mom’s version of the painful but joyful experience. But I can’t imagine hearing folks telling stories of what happened. What if we could tell stories about our comfy little fluid world?

“I used to have it easy. I had all of the amenities a baby could have. Then, when the time came, the walls of my living quarters began to shrink. The liquid drained, and suddenly I was pushed through a narrow passage.

 No more darkness but a rush of air and light covered me. My little nose started sucking air into my lungs. I breathed in and out, and for the first time, I cried like crazy! But there was something about this new world that felt right. I was born to be here.”

A Radical Change

Although most of us have not heard a story quite like this, we understand that we all transitioned from Mom’s tummy to a world that is so much more. We underwent a radical change and when we give our lives to God, our hearts undergo a radical change.

John tells a beautiful story about a religious leader named Nicodemus. He was baffled about the signs that Jesus performed. Jesus told him that, “…no-one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”(1)

Nicodemus was puzzled. Born again? “How can someone be born when they are old?”(2)

Then Jesus explained, “…no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.”(3)

This was a strange idea to Nicodemus, and it still may be a strange metaphor to some, but it helps us understand that when we become a part of the kingdom of God, we leave one world behind to enter into another world. This journey from darkness to light may feel like a narrow passage but God has given us the Holy Spirit to radically change our world.

When the Holy Spirit sets up residence in us, He spreads truth and life into our lives. He is like a whirlwind of love, grace and mercy that comes through, uproots sin and selfishness, and tears down strongholds. Also He mends the broken places, and plants His fruit in us. He drops a net of peace over our hearts and we become tethered. He is always within us and we are never alone.

Yes, we are still living on planet earth but when God changes our hearts, we are radically changed. We become so much more when we are born again.

References:

1. The book of John 3:3, NIVUK
2. John 3:4, NIVUK
3. John 3:5, NIVUK

Pamela Williams writes from Southern California.

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