Former Things
December 29
Riding shotgun on a road trip, I meditated on who God is as the snow covered Blueridge Mountains rolled by on either side of Highway 81. The thought of kneading dough came to mind. "Yeah, I need some dough$ Lord." Ha, that wasn't where He was going. The process of making yeast breads, pie crusts and cookie dough (which I did over the holidays) held a timely teaching. If you overwork dough it gets tough. Although the rising process takes time, it is worth the wait when the tasty blessings come out of the oven!
My husband had his country station blaring on the radio...very appropriate since we were heading to Nashville. Chris Young was singing: I Hear Voices all the Time.
Putting these two pieces of info together with the New Year on the horizon, I thought back to the mental battle of discerning who the author is of the voices we hear. Daily, I notice the devil drawing me to dwell on past hurts, betrayals and deceptions pushing my heart towards bitterness and resentment. What a joy robber he is and a master of distraction. Like overworked dough, bringing these thoughts up again and again can make a heart tough. Choosing to rise above these disappointments and put our trust in the Lord to work all things together for our good can bring about peace and comfort. (Like yummy baked goods, but with less calories!)
Two verses verify the victory in this process.
Forgetting the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14
Make me laugh, the next country song to come on goes like this: I ain't as good as I once was, my how the years have flown, there was a time back in my prime when I could really hold my own. I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was.
One of the best perks of a walk with the Lord is that even though we get older and deteriorate physically with wrinkles, flab and glorious gray we grow in wisdom when we stick to His regiments and we can be better than ever! So let's let go of any former things which stalk us with negativity and look ahead with positive expectancy to what God has next!
PT
Hallelujah Lord, You are as good now as You were in the beginning! You are always at work, doing a new thing. We add our hearts to the list of items ready for updates and improvements. For loves we have lost, hurts we have harbored, hang ups we just haven't been able to let go of, we give them all to You today and say, "Show us the way!" In Jesus' Name, Amen
PS. My husband says that maybe the dough I need is a good venison meal. (Doe for those of you who are slow to his sense of humor.)
