New Leaf
At the beginning of the year, many of us try to turn over a new leaf. I don’t mean we examine the undersides of the greenery on trees—there’s little of that to inspect this time of the year. “Turning over a new leaf” is an old expression for making a new start or changing for the better. The pages in books used to be called “leaves,” so the expression is meant to compare making a change to turning the next page in a book to see what happens next, or maybe turning to a fresh page in a journal to make a new entry.
A new leaf stands for potential. Anything can happen. No matter where you are in life, there are still plenty of pages to turn in your book. Only God knows how many.
Believe it or not, you can turn over a new leaf at any time. You don’t have to wait for January to roll around. The New Year is just a manmade holiday on a calendar. January 1 is not any more special than July 19 or September 5. A day is a day. And every day the Lord gives us has potential.
Furthermore, a new leaf can come at any age. You’re never too old to change. Some of our greatest stories teach us that we do not have to be set in our ways when we’re old. Silas Marner learned to open his heart to love after he had become an old miser hoarding gold. And for the first time in his life, Ebenezer Scrooge learned near the end of his life that it is better to give than to receive.
Turning over a new leaf does not mean you can change the past. We all have regrets and wish we could change history, but that’s impossible. Keith Waterhouse wrote, “I turn over a new leaf every day. But the blots show through.” New pages in the journal of life will be stained with memories, mistakes, and old regrets. That shouldn’t keep you from moving forward. Your past is a part of you, and if you have the right attitude, it can teach you how to start the next chapter.
Turning over a new leaf is consistent with the biblical discipline of renewal. “Do not be conformed to this world,” Paul says, “but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). “Be renewed in the spirit of your minds” (Eph. 4:23). “Put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Col. 3:10).
God is never finished with us. He will continue to feed us new pages as long as we continue to trust in him. Not even death can close the book, for after this life, a new home awaits with an infinite supply of new leaves in eternity.
Drew Kizer