Church Newsletter fodder

THE LEAVES ARE DYING BUT I AM NEW

Summer’s over and fall is in full swing. The fresh green leaves God gave me to shade our patio while I sipped lemonade and watched burgers grill are now crunching all around my feet begging to be raked. Raking leaves and walking our dog Maggie are about the only reasons I have to spend time outside now. Maggie will get walked and I will get to those leaves shortly. But now that I am back in the house and tending to the woodstove I am amazed at how much dust accumulated while I was outside on the porch all summer reading good books! (well, I do dust on rainy days)

So yesterday I started tackling some fall cleaning. In addition to the dust, clutter had formed here and there and everywhere and I was just throwing things out left and right. It was a regular Throw it, Clean it, Change it day. I put fresh pictures in frames rearranged some knick-knacks and polished everything.

As I was throwing things out with the greatest of ease I couldn’t help but think how out of character it was. I was born a clutter bug and always tended to hang onto things “just in case”. But here I was, not feeling the least bit attached to things. I was feeling mighty good about myself. Actually, I was getting warm with self-righteousness thinking that I had “somehow” become a better less materialistic person when from nowhere, the Holy Spirit stung me with a verse.

1COR5:17 I am a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.

When I first memorized this verse it was a long time ago. I knew I was new in Christ but I couldn’t possibly understand the full extent of the fringe benefits. After walking with Jesus all these years (as on and off as it has been over the last 17) and surrendering to the Spirit, I have changed. I used to be impulsive, and still being a realist, a life long walk with Jesus wasn’t an easy idea to grasp. Sometimes I found myself running a little ahead of him and tried to imagine him keeping an eye on me from behind. The realist in me is also hard on me and I have a hard time thinking that any walk with a Savior could change a wretch like me but don’t you know, there are positive improvements!
Now I hardly think that I am like Jesus but in cleaning up and throwing things out I am reminded that I’m a work in progress. We are all a work in progress.

And today I will do my fall cleaning with the Lord in mind. I won’t be storing my treasures on my dresser or in a drawer or under the bed because I know that in the end they will fade away or be destroyed by rust or moths. My slowly aging Bibles help me to remember that my treasure is truly in heaven. (see Matt 6:19&20)

Years of walking with our Lord and being obedient will indeed wear away the layers of our old selves making us more like him. With our eyes fixed on Jesus we won’t even notice when he rids us of our vices but we will certainly enjoy the benefits of not living with them.