The Freshness of Something Old

Sunday morning I pulled a few items of clothing out of my closet and drawer that I hadn't worn in a while. Many of my tops have been unwearable for a while because of weight gain. Now that I've finally gotten the weight back off, though, it has taken me a little while to remind myself that I can wear those clothes again. When I remember, though, it is fun to pull out something old and have it feel like a completely new outfit.

It's like coming out of a long season, like our long southern summers, and being able to pull on that favorite jacket or pretty sweater that hasn't been seen in a while. There's something refreshing about bringing out something old that hasn't been seen in while and enjoying it as if it were new.

Do we ever think to do that with spiritual truths? Or even with familiar Bible stories? Think of some of the stories you loved as a child. When was the last time you just sat down and read the story in its entirety, just to relish the delight of it once again?

It is crucial to keep moving forward. Our lives depend on it! We cannot grow if we are not learning and trying new things. But, unlike clothes, the old spiritual truths of Scripture never wear out. In fact, the things we learned as children or as new believers are the foundation of what we know now. Without them, we would not be who we are today.

Sometimes we just might need to dig back into the depths of our knowledge and understanding and be refreshed by those things we learned long ago.

On Sunday morning I had a newer skirt to put together with a very old top and sweater. It gave the old a look it had never had before. In the same way, the maturity we have gained spiritually just might give us a fresh perspective on some foundational truth we learned long ago. There might be a freshness to something familiar that we never thought possible.

So, now and then I encourage you to look back. Look back at those favorite stories and passages. Look back at old sermon notes or journal entries. Look back at old prayer requests and praises. Think back to those things that were not recorded, but are stored in your heart and mind. It might surprise you what freshness you find simply by pulling out something old.