I am something of a pack rat. I have a hard time throwing anything away. I actually have a pair of shoes in my closet I purchased when I was eighteen! While I will probably never wear them again, I just cannot bear the thought of throwing them in the trash. I mean, after thirty-two years they still look pretty good.
But my wife’s motto is, “Out with the old; in with the new.” There have been several occasions where I went to get something (like an old favorite shirt) only to find it missing. Caught up in a cleaning frenzy, Sheri had relegated the item to the expendable category and tossed it.
There’s a custom in Italy that all the old furniture and unwanted items are emptied from the house on the first day of the New Year. I hope Sheri doesn’t read this article! I have a desk in our bedroom that my parents bought for me when I was fourteen. I would hate to see it go!
But for all my pack rat tendencies, I have to admit there is something good in getting rid of the old and making room for the new. I think this is what the Hebrew writer was getting at in Hebrews 12:2 when he talked about laying aside the weights and the sin which so easily ensnares so we can run with endurance the race set before us.
As we enter 2012, are there some things in your life that need to go on the trash heap; things you don’t want to carry into the New Year? Things like old habits, old thought patterns, old attitudes, and old ways? If so, now would be a good time to do some spiritual house cleaning. Get rid of the old and replace it with the new God wants to bring into your life.
While there are many old things that are good and should be valued (like my 1977 Fender Precision bass guitar I bought at the age of sixteen), there are other things we would be better off without. So here is to serving God in 2012 with a spirit of newness!
Happy New Year –
Pastor Todd
But my wife’s motto is, “Out with the old; in with the new.” There have been several occasions where I went to get something (like an old favorite shirt) only to find it missing. Caught up in a cleaning frenzy, Sheri had relegated the item to the expendable category and tossed it.
There’s a custom in Italy that all the old furniture and unwanted items are emptied from the house on the first day of the New Year. I hope Sheri doesn’t read this article! I have a desk in our bedroom that my parents bought for me when I was fourteen. I would hate to see it go!
But for all my pack rat tendencies, I have to admit there is something good in getting rid of the old and making room for the new. I think this is what the Hebrew writer was getting at in Hebrews 12:2 when he talked about laying aside the weights and the sin which so easily ensnares so we can run with endurance the race set before us.
As we enter 2012, are there some things in your life that need to go on the trash heap; things you don’t want to carry into the New Year? Things like old habits, old thought patterns, old attitudes, and old ways? If so, now would be a good time to do some spiritual house cleaning. Get rid of the old and replace it with the new God wants to bring into your life.
While there are many old things that are good and should be valued (like my 1977 Fender Precision bass guitar I bought at the age of sixteen), there are other things we would be better off without. So here is to serving God in 2012 with a spirit of newness!
Happy New Year –
Pastor Todd
