...but now am found

Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.    Acts 3:19

I am beginning to understand what born again means.  It always seemed like such a cliche to me, but I get it now.  I do feel born again.  My heart has changed.  My desires have changed.  In no way am I saying that I am perfect, far from actually - I still have the same bad habits and struggle with the same old sin - the difference is that now it affects me in another way.  It grieves me.  I long to be changed and break the cycle. 

I am thankful for the transformation that has been happening in my heart.  I am learning to celebrate my intimate relationship with Jesus and what it looks like to walk consistently with Him.  That was lacking in my life.  He is worthy of total surrender and I didn't believe or understand that before. 

"We are saved from our sins by a free gift of grace, something that only God can do in us and that we cannot manufacture ourselves.  But that gift of grace involves the gift of a new heart.  New desires.  New longings.  For the first time, we want God.  We see our need for Him, and we love Him.  We seek after Him, and we find Him, and we discover that He is indeed the great reward of our salvation.  We realize that we are saved not just to be forgiven of our sins or to be assured of our eternity in heaven, but we are saved to know God.  So we yearn for Him.  We want Him so much that we abandon everything else to experience Him."
(quoted from Radical by David Platt, page 39)

Being refreshed by Jesus, being able to return to Him...there is nothing that compares.