A Fresh Start | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: A Fresh Start | Previous Challenge Entry
By Ann Menschel
04/11/24
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Standing in the middle of the living room floor, the toddler raised her arm high, the toy grasped tightly in her hand. The mother repeated her instruction to give the toy to the brother as it was his turn to play with it. Rearing back, the toddler defiantly threw the toy across the room. As it smashed onto the floor, it broke into pieces. Both children burst into tears.

The math test was harder than he had expected. He wanted to do well but his mind drew a blank as he stared at the next problem. Glancing around he saw other kids steadily making their way through the test – while he was stymied. The girl next to him was racing along. He leaned over a bit and realized he could see the answers she had written down. A quick look around revealed the teacher at the far end of the room. Another glance at the girl’s test and he was able to copy her answer onto his paper.

She had expected challenges when moving to the Middle School – a new building to navigate, harder subjects, an assortment of teachers while moving from class to class. But she was unprepared for the cruel cliques that formed. One in her circle of friends commented, in a loud voice, about the lame outfit the girl at the next table was wearing. After her other friends commented as well, they turned to her in expectation. She loudly added her disparaging remark.

The ride on the bus home from ballgames was always rowdy. That night one of the guy’s phones was being passed from one player to the next. Hoots, hollers and cat calls echoed throughout the bus as each one took a peek. He was growing uncomfortable as the phone drew closer. A glance at the screen made clear what the excitement was about. Embarrassed for the girl whose photo was shown, but unwilling to be ostracized by the team, he hooted like the rest and passed the phone on to the next guy.

Sitting in the Ethics lecture as a Junior in college, she felt the usual unease creeping into her heart as the professor began extolling once again the premise that the right to choose was sacred, while the right to life was unreasonable and archaic. A student sitting next to her stood up and began to defend the unborn, but the class responded with boos. All eyes were in their direction as the furor increased. Feeling compelled to avoid confrontation, she too raised her voice with the crowd.

While filling his coffee cup in the break room, he began expressing his frustration to a co-worker who had joined him about the exorbitant income tax he was having to pay. The co-worker offered the name of his accountant who had used a wide variety of methods to escape paying so much. However, the co-worker qualified his recommendation with the admonition that some reductions might be questionable – but the odds of the IRS coming after ordinary Joe seem pretty slim, so why not take advantage of any possibility. After asking for the accountant’s phone number, he returned to his desk and began to dial.

At every stage of life, the stark reality that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” is clear through a myriad of situations. But what a relief and blessing to know that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.

A fresh start is available each day!

NASB Romans 6:23 & I John 1:9

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