I was working on a very important document recently, and I stepped away for a few minutes. When I returned to my desk, I was horrified to find my computer was restarting. I had not saved the important document.

This is very unlike me as I constantly save my work. I had to start all over again. I was suddenly hit by the idea of how significant this empty, white space was before me.

It reminded me of how God promises to give us a fresh start with each new day:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)

I am thankful for this reminder because, I think back to the many times I have messed up in the decisions I’ve made or with the words I’ve spoken. They are definitely plenty, and I just want to start over with a clean slate.

I suppose the Lord thought I needed another reminder. A few days later I accidentally deleted all the emails from my mobile phone and I could not figure out how to recover them. I was left staring again at nothing but blank space.

God is faithful in giving us a fresh start each day. We all make mistakes and even when negative decisions cause lasting consequences, God promises not only His mercies, but He promises He will work everything together for our good:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

We can wake up each morning with the assurance we have a “blank page” to fill with God’s love and His mercy towards others because His mercy endures forever towards us. (I Chronicles 16:34)