Thursday thoughts: A new year with a clean slate By JILL JOHNSON Thursday, January 1, 2026 I am about to show my age, but as I was thinking about January 1st, I started remembering a simple, inexpensive toy that my children used to entertain themselves when we were traveling. It was called a "Magic Slate." It was basically a piece of cardboard covered with dark wax paper with a sheet of translucent plastic film affixed at the top. It had a plastic pencil to write on the paper. To erase the writing or drawing, you would lift the plastic sheet away from the backing, and it would "wondrously" make it disappear to have a clean slate again to start over. Today is the first day of a new year, and we start it with a clean slate. One of the definitions of "clean slate" is to forgive or forget past faults or offenses and make a fresh start. I don't know about you, but I am the worst at forgetting my past faults. I have asked God for forgiveness, but Satan just loves to torment me by reminding me of all the times I have failed. He tries to weigh down my mind by getting me to focus on things I wish I had not said or done. All that does is make me ineffective and unproductive. As I was thinking about this, God reminded me about the wax paper drawing slate I told you about earlier. He brought to mind that HE gives me the opportunity for a clean slate every day and sometimes more than once a day. God gives us all a fresh start each day, not just on January 1st of each new year. He completely clears the record of all our faults and wrongdoings because He loves us. He forgives us and offers each of us a new beginning. God doesn't pretend my past faults or offenses never happened; instead, He offers forgiveness so that my past doesn't define me. My past does not have the final word in my life because God's forgiveness gives me a clean slate. Because of the sacrifice of Christ, you and I can be forgiven. In Psalms 32, the Bible says to count yourself blessed, how happy you must be - you get a fresh start, and your slate is wiped clean. God holds nothing against us if we hold nothing back and honestly and sincerely confess our sins. He forgives us. The Bible says once we ask and receive HIS forgiveness, He removes our wrongdoings as far as the east is from the west. That is the true definition of a clean slate. My encouragement to you and myself on this first day of a new year is to strive to daily embrace the ONE who supplies us with a clean slate. We are given the opportunity and privilege to receive a new beginning time and time again through the grace of God. We can't earn it by being perfect because it's offered through grace. God chooses to give us mercy through His love and kindness even when we fall short. He offers us a new beginning by forgiving our past faults and failures with His loving kindness. Won't you join me this year in purposefully seeking God, asking for His forgiveness each and every day, allowing us to focus our minds on serving with love, joy, and a perfectly clean slate? I pray you will. ___ Jill Johnson finds spiritual applications in her everyday experiences as a wife, mother, grandmother, and Georgian. Jill is retired from the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and is available to speak to your church's women's gatherings. Reach her at jjohnson@gabaptist.org. --- PULLQUOTES --- Quote: My past does not have the final word in my life because God's forgiveness gives me a clean slate. --- PHOTOS --- File: 20230105-130542-Jill Johnson thumbnail.jpg Caption: Jill Johnson