What Was Old Is New Again

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. -- Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

Have you ever had a T-shirt that you couldn't bear to part with? Maybe you liked the color or maybe you liked what it said on the front. Mine is on Oklahoma Sooners shirt that was given to me on my birthday more than 10 years ago. The crimson has faded a bit and you can't really tell that it says Oklahoma on the front anymore. The neck and sleeves are fraying after a few too many trips through the washing machine. I have much newer and nicer OU shirts now and I don't wear the old one much, and the old one has pretty much been retired. It spends week after week stuck up in the closet while the newer ones get worn but every so often I notice it up on the shelf and pull it down again. Each time I put it on it's just as comfy as it ever was and I'm glad that I saw it.

I think we do that throughout our lives. We really enjoy something while it's new and fresh, but after time has taken hold and maybe started to fray the edges a bit, we kinda put it on the shelf in lieu of something newer and nicer. We even do this with our kids to an extent. We have another baby and the baby gets almost all of our focus and attention. The older kid(s) suddenly have to get a bit more independent, don't they? Or maybe it's our pets (I have 10 of them, so I can speak to this). We got adopted by a little kitty recently and he's been occupying a bunch of my time to the point that my dog wonders if I've forgotten about him sometimes!

The good news, in fact the greatest news, is that God doesn't ever forget about is in favor of something new. Instead, He takes His children and continually renews us. When we get weak He makes us strong again. When we fail He picks us up off the mat and tells us everything will be OK. If you've ever tried making it on your own, you know how my old worn out T-shirt feels, because that's what the world will do to the best of us. But, if you know God and believe in Jesus then you know what it feels like to be made new...and that's a feeling that is worth having!