Not Too Late for a New Start

A widely accepted adage says, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” This statement tries to get us to accept that as time goes on, it’s too late to make a change.

Many enjoy the Discovery Channel show, “Mythbusters”, which takes on widely believed assumptions and attempts to disprove them. One of my favorite episodes challenges the above-mentioned adage head-on.

The hosts found an aging pair of Alaskan malamutes who didn’t know a single trick in the book. Malamutes are also known for their stubbornness. As 7-year-old canines, siblings Bobo and Cece were equivalent to a couple of 50-year-olds in dog years, arguably qualifying them for the “old dog” category. 

However, after just four days of training, the dogs could heel, sit, lie down and shake upon command…effectively proving that you CAN teach old dogs new tricks.

In our lives, we can fall into the wrong assumption that it’s too late to make a change. The arrival of a New Year is a helpful reminder to start fresh. There are small changes we can make by our effort, but a brand-new life is only possible through Jesus Christ.

The Bible tells us this, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them,” 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (NIV).

There is nothing more urgent, no greater life-changing decision than to believe in Jesus Christ. This truth brings us amazing hope because God’s mercy can make anyone a new creation. The New Year can then be a reminder that instead of assuming it is too late to receive God’s saving love, we can have a life that is reconciled because of Jesus.

Many New Year’s resolutions are made with the best intentions but the passing of the time brings failure and discouragement. Instead, God’s plan for us through Jesus is a promise based on certainty. We cannot earn or establish a relationship with God by our own effort. To be reconciled to God is only by grace through the sacrifice of Christ. Because of Jesus, it is not too late for a new start.