First days are marked, because, well, they’re first. They’re fresh and new. A whole new world of possibilities open up on these days.
Of all my first days of school, the one that always stands out is ninth grade.
I was fortunate in many respects as a ninth grader. I was still attending South Miami Middle School, so I was at the top of my class (not that it made any difference in my social ranking) as opposed to being a frightened, persecuted freshman in high school.
In the waning days of August, I became upset with my mother over some trivial matter and decided that I would prefer to live with my father (a few miles away). So, I packed my bags, and moved out the SUNDAY before classes started. This led to my restless night on a pin pan pun.
I’ll let someone else describe what it’s like to sleep on one of these monstrosities.
“A pin pan pun is a folding cot that is stored in a closet or "garaje". A trundle bed is what Westin hotels might call "heavenly" next to a pin pan pun. A pin pan pun has a bar that one feels through the 1 inch mattress. Nobody has ever actually "slept" on a pin pan pun. Fitfull intermittent unconsciousness is the best that can be hoped for.” (anonymous web poster)
Imagine a sleeper sofa that’s narrower than an air mattress.
People ask me how it is possible for families such as mine that are so large to get along so well with each other. ESPECIALLY when visiting.
“El pin pan pun” is the answer.
Guests get so little sleep that they don’t have the strength to remember old grudges, let alone bring them up. When you go through our old photos, you can tell who the guests are (hint: they’re unconscious on the couch). The included picture is deceiving because a “real” pin pan pun has a chain link fence as opposed to the wooden slats supporting the flimsy mattress.
So I spend the night staring at the flip clock. Listening to its mechanism crank away even failed to lull me to sleep. When the dawn appeared at last, I had breakfast with my dad, and he drove me to school in his old, rusty, work van.
We arrived at school.
Coral Gables High School.
The WRONG school.
He knew I was planning to attend Gables, he just didn’t realize that I had to finish a year at South Miami first. It was just as well. I arrived at South Miami Middle just in time and moved back home that afternoon.
I think there’s a reason why the first verse of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible begins with, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
God is in the business of creation. Every day is a new day to Him. Each sunrise heralds a day filled with His glory. He somehow is able to take that which is mundane and make it sparkle. God has often been described as possessing infinite knowledge and power, but it took a professor of mine in seminary to awaken me to the realization that God also possesses infinite creativity.
He loves to create.
And He loves for us to create with Him.
Light is also mentioned in these verses; dispelling the darkness. Jesus often referred to Himself as light for similar reasons. With light comes hope, and hope … hope gives us the strength to keep on going.
One scene in Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ that never fails to raise goose bumps on me is when Jesus, traversing the Via Dolorosa, stumbles and falls. His mother Mary rushes to offer comfort, but he simply says, “See, mother, I make all things new.”
The light dispels the darkness and creates new life.
• What does your new day look like?
• What darkness exists in your day that needs to be dispelled?
• How is Jesus re-creating your life and relationships with Him and those around you?
Related Verses
Genesis 1:1-5
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”
And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
Lamentations 3:18-26
I cry out, “My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the LORD is lost!”
The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:
The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”
The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD.
Matthew 4:12-17
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:
“In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River, in Galilee where so many Gentiles live, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.”
From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”
John 8:12
Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
Revelations 21:5
And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
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