“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

As things start to come back in business, and in general, I have run into a number of conversations with the topic being the comparison of “as is” versus “as was”.  Last night I was on a Board call where we reviewed the statistics from Regional Theaters across the country and on average theaters are seeing 50% of the audiences that they had in 2019. There are two ways to look at that number.  We can look at it from the perspective of “as was” and be really depressed.  Or, we can look at it “as is” and be grateful that there are that many people who are coming back to theaters.  It is the same conversation in restaurants, airlines, hotels, churches and anywhere where the gathering of people is the offering.  I’d suggest that “as is” is the best lens to not only accept, but also to build from.  “As was” might come back, but until it does, it will just be a drag to dwell there.

What a gift God has given us with the new person we become with our salvation.  “As was” is dead.  “As is” is what matters.  And from the point of acceptance on, it will only be about “as is” as the prelude to “what will be”.  We have that hope and assurance so if there is anyone who should be able to accept “as is” with gratitude and joy, it should be us.  Our “what will be” is too exciting to even think about “as was”.

Reference: 2 Corinthians 5:17 (New Living Translation)