The Man I Buried: A Story of Being Born Again
There’s a man I used to be — a name I used to answer to.
He walked heavy, dragging the chains of yesterday like trophies he never wanted but couldn’t seem to drop. He lived by instinct, not intention. By pain, not by purpose. He was tired — bone-tired — of pretending strength while dying inside.
That man died the day I met Jesus.
It didn’t happen in a church pew or under a spotlight. It was quiet, almost unremarkable. The world didn’t stop spinning — but I did. Somewhere between my last breath of running and my first whisper of surrender, Heaven breathed life into me.
Jesus called my name — not the one people knew, but the one Heaven had written before I was born.
And something in me answered.
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Born Again
> “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” — John 3:3 (NLT)
Being born again isn’t about starting over — it’s about becoming new. It’s the spiritual resurrection of a soul that was walking dead. It’s the moment the grave can’t hold you anymore because grace says, ‘Rise.’
I didn’t get cleaner that day — I got reborn.
God didn’t patch me up — He made me new.
The blood of Jesus didn’t just forgive what I did — it rewrote who I am.
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New Creation
> “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” — 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)
The old me? He’s buried.
I don’t visit his grave anymore. I don’t keep his number saved. I don’t wear his guilt like it still fits.
Every scar that once defined me now tells a different story — not of what I lost, but of Who I found.
I used to carry shame like a cross I built myself. Now I carry the Cross He carried for me.
When Christ moved in, He didn’t ask to rent a room. He tore down the whole house and built something holy in its place.
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Identity in Christ
> “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” — Galatians 2:20 (NLT)
This is who I am now — not a product of my past, but a reflection of His promise.
I’m not defined by my failures. I’m identified by His faithfulness.
I’m not an addict, a sinner, a screw-up, or a statistic — I’m a son.
I’m not running anymore; I’m redeemed.
When the devil whispers, “Remember who you were,” I smile and say, “He’s dead.”
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Leaving the Past Behind
> “Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead…” — Philippians 3:13 (NLT)
There’s no glory in the graveyard of who you used to be.
Don’t build a tent there. Don’t write love letters to your old chains. Don’t polish the rust of your regrets.
God is doing something new. He’s not revising your story — He’s rewriting it.
The pen is in His hand, and every line bleeds grace.
When I stepped out of that tomb, I didn’t just walk away from sin — I walked toward purpose.
My past may explain me, but it doesn’t define me.
Christ does.
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Reflection
If you’ve been dragging the corpse of who you used to be, let today be the funeral.
Bury the shame. Lay down the guilt. Walk away from the grave.
You were never meant to live in chains. You were meant to live redeemed.
Let the Cross be your new birth certificate.
Let the empty tomb be your proof of life.
And when they ask who you are now — tell them, “I’m not who I was… I’m who He says I am.”
-Joe