Some New Thing

Posted by Melissa Y. | June 16, 2009 | 19 Comments

For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.
–Acts 17:21

There is something beguiling about newness. The crispness of a new dollar bill, the smell of new clothes, the unfurling of a new leaf, the morning of a new day. It breathes of freshness, creativity. It invigorates, offers hope, stretches before us with untouched possibility.

What’s new? we ask each other, a question laced with implications of growth, progress, change.

Newness. It’s a color, a scent, a shimmer.

It’s easy to get hooked.

I listen for the crack when opening a book for the first time, smile at the perfection (and smell!) of new crayons, marvel at the softness of newborn baby skin. I love being the first to open the seal on a jar of peanut butter.

Electronic newness has also cast its spell. News articles, blogs, email, updates. Friends, strangers–a clamor of importance. I walk away dizzy, drenched, both sated and hungry.

It’s an elusive, fickle master, this desire for some new thing. In all my efforts to feed the divine drive, it’s easy for me to confuse newness with renewal.

Tell me how you find renewal amidst all of the newness. And whether you think the drive for some new thing really is divine.

p.s. I love old things too, but that’s a post for another day.

Comments

19 Responses to “Some New Thing”

Jenny
June 16th, 2009 @ 7:25 am

In our house, the first one in the cereal box wins the prize. It’s a coveted privilege. I love being the first one to dip the knife into a newly opened jar of mayonnaise… I like peeling the seal off the bottle of oil. Yesterday we decided as a family to start reading the Book of Mormon anew. I think renewal is the anchor that keeps us afloat and steady in a sea of newness and stimulation of all sorts. Thank goodness for the goodness and simplicity of the gospel. And remembering.
Brenda
June 16th, 2009 @ 8:20 am

Mmm…new things. The smell and feel of a new car (which doesn’t last very long before it becomes the McBurger wagon), a new home, new clothes. Baby animals…so cute and new. A new week and a fresh start.
Blue
June 16th, 2009 @ 8:58 am

it’s possible for the quest for newness to become an insatiable appetite. when people quickly lose their sense of contentment with what they have, and seek to fill the fathomless void inside with the next new thing. new high scores on electronic games. new toys (for big and small kids). new clothes. new cosmetic surgery. new, unseen destinations. new relationships. it’s one of satan’s biggest ploys…this thirst for the next new thing.

contrast that with the feelings that come with renewing. working in a garden year after year, nurturing the tender plants of yesteryear back to life in the spring. the satisfaction gained from repairing or taking care of the things one already has. reconnecting with friends we haven’t seen in a long time. a hard-earned nap that rejuvenates the body. renewing our covenants to follow the savior each sunday. there’s a feeling that comes with renewal that is wholly different than the feeling we get when we seek to fill our lives with neverending newness. the trick is keeping a balance in our lives. appreciating the blessings we’ve received and not letting ourselves be distracted from what matters most in the relentless pursuit of “more”.
♥
Justine
June 16th, 2009 @ 9:09 am

I love new books. I love watching seedlings come out of the ground (that’s ‘new’, isn’t it?) But I also love finding things I need at second-hand stores. I feel like some sort of conquistador when I walk away having filled a family need for $.99. Plus it makes me feel eco-friendly.

I love being the first one awake in the morning, and running before the sun has crested over the mountains. It makes me feel like I’m in on some secret of early morning, before anyone else is awake to see it.

But “newness” doesn’t have to be a purchase, I don’t think. Blue’s right that it’s a state of mind, gratitude for newness already received, or for ‘newness’ remembered.
Lindsay
June 16th, 2009 @ 9:34 am

I think this correlates very well with the (Once I move/get married/lose 15 pounds/find a new job/buy that cute sweater) “THEN I’ll be happy” syndrome where newness is lusted after and unhappiness is blamed on circumstances. Many of us also fall prey to its opposite but equally ugly twin: the “fear of and refusal to change” syndrome, where we picket ourselves in comfortable but flat places and stagnate in our own complacency. And then there’s the combination of the two: surrounding ourselves with new and exciting things without ever actually growing ourselves.

How different these are (while still being cunningly close counterfeits) compared to God’s desire that we continue to renew and remake ourselves, finding contentment while rejecting complacency.
Dovie
June 16th, 2009 @ 9:41 am

There was a BYU devotional once that the speaker spoke (great form there I know) about finding the sacred part of things. The sacred part of the day, the sacred part of the week, of relationships, experiences, the sacred part of many things both tangible and intangible.

The sacred part of the day at least in his estimation was early morning. I think that both edges of the day can be like that but there is something wonderful about “the new” in the morning, so I guess that is my favorite new. That and babies. New new babies is the bestest.
Kay
June 16th, 2009 @ 10:34 am

I love new books, new babies,trying new recipes, and newly washed and ironed bedlinen.

I also like new starts such as new callings, new houses and new jobs. Starting afresh brings me hope and excitement.
Ardis
June 16th, 2009 @ 1:38 pm

The first day of a new job — before you’ve fallen behind, or met the nightmare client, or become frustrated with the worn out copy machine — is great. The newness of having a conference proposal accepted is exciting — you bask in the glow of “they want me! they really want me!” without actually having to buckle down and write the paper quite yet. The first days after Thanksgiving in the newness of the Christmas season — before you’ve heard “12 Days of Christmas” too often, or fallen behind in your baking, or realized how much gifts are going to cost — is a high point.

With any new undertaking, there is a moment at the beginning that is pure thrill. You know there’s work to do, you know the result won’t be as perfect as your imagined possibilities, but you also know that good things lie ahead. Newness is an immature pleasure that foreshadows the mature satisfaction to come when you’ve made it through the hurdles and achieved something worthwhile, if imperfect.
traci
June 16th, 2009 @ 1:47 pm

My fav – opening a new box of Crayola Crayons! A new journal to write and draw in! New plants coming up! A new chance every day and week to start over!

I appreciate the discussion on new and renewal. How true! I waver somethimes with new devotions, new spiritual or spirit filled books to jump start myself, new class for a new talent. And often think I should just stick to The Word, old tried and true hobbies and renewal of talents instead of new ones.

Lots of good thought processes her moving. Anxious for the “old ” side of the discussion.
corktree
June 16th, 2009 @ 1:55 pm

I think the quest for new experiences and new abilities and perspectives is divine. This, of course, is part of why we are here and will help us to grow and gain knowledge for the eternities. The quest for new physical objects is a cheap imitation that Satan provides (slowly down the primrose path…) to fill this divine need that is placed in us. If we get caught up in the “next new thing” cycle, we are less likely to focus on learning and creating.

I have found (after some difficulty) that I am much more satisfied by CREATING something new versus BUYING something new, and that to appreciate newness in nature and human endeavors is to see the divinity of creation mirrored, which points us in the right direction.
m&m
June 16th, 2009 @ 3:52 pm

I have always thought of this scripture more in intellectual terms than anything else. For all that the glory of God is intelligence, I think sometimes we can confuse ‘new information’ with intelligence. Intelligence is light and truth — not all new information, new theories, new age self-help, etc. etc. etc. are light and truth, or sometimes have just enough light and truth to potentially distract from the real deal. It can be difficult to discern the difference.

As such, I love the newness that comes when the Spirit illuminates the basic truths of the gospel, when I find new light into a scripture I have read already a million times, and when I see the gospel through my children’s eyes.
wendy
June 16th, 2009 @ 8:31 pm

I really like the balance of perspectives being shared about this.

I’m reminded of one of my favorite quotes (that I can only find the beginning of without more effort I don’t have time to give) by Thoreau, “I say beware of all enterprises that require new clothes, and not rather a new wearer of clothes.”

I love the fresh smells of spring that feel “new” as well as opportunities to start anew.
Merry Michelle
June 16th, 2009 @ 9:50 pm

I loved what “Blue” said. I’ve gotten caught up in the new “stuff” cycle, only to find out that while I was still sliding my card through the register–I was already bored with what I was buying and lusting after something else. So dumb. Aren’t we lucky when the economy falls off a cliff and frees us from stupidity like that?

Something “new” worth having? A new heart. Seeing someone through new eyes after truly understanding what’s going on in their world. A newness of hope that things really can get better.
Selwyn
June 16th, 2009 @ 11:57 pm

I find renewal amongst the new when I find it among those things I already value/appreciate. A new book (even if it’s been read by someone else) renews me more than… than washing my hair. A new friend brings renewal, both the world because you’re newly minted friends, but also because you get to see the world a different way, AND see yourself in a new way. A new song you’ve never heard before can lift you. A new day, barely breaking over the horizon. Particularly if I’m running at the time!

I don’t think seeking after the newest thing is divine – I think seeking after a new higher thing/option/quality is divine.

Old definately has an important place in renewal as well though – looking forward to that post.
jendoop
June 17th, 2009 @ 6:57 am

Great comments, esp. Blue and Lindsay. In reading through them all I realized what makes the difference for me in enjoying something new, versus complaining about change, is the time and capacity to enjoy it.
TJ Hirst
June 17th, 2009 @ 8:58 am

I often fall prey to the need for the new. In my home, I solve that buy rearranging the furniture. In church, I pine for a new calling. In motherhood, I look forward to the next season.

This year, middle age took root and I realized that I can’t just keep expecting and wanting new, at some point I have to turn around and recognize what I’ve been given. It’s been my life-changing mid-life crises.
Carol Brown
June 17th, 2009 @ 2:16 pm

I really like the posts of m&m, corktree, and Merry Michelle. I love learning new things about my Savior, knowing that I can be made a new creature in Christ as I turn away from sin and turn to Him in faith and humility, and experience His profound and infinite love in new and deeper ways.
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