Perhaps at times we’re too quick to devalue the old things in our life. To be sure, the new and shiny are not always better and there’s great value in cherishing those things that have stood the test of time. All the same, many times we hold on to the old simply because it’s familiar and comfortable rather than cleaning it out and entering the new.
For example, this can be as simple as cleaning out our old clothes, or more profoundly such as auditing our friendships or careers and seeing if changes need to be made.
The point is not to merely get rid of the old, but rather to consider if holding on to the status quo is still serving us today.
Of course, even when it’s clear spring-cleaning is in order, this doesn’t make it any easier. We must still grieve what we’re letting go, and we will often feel undone as we do. We’re letting go of the old but the new has not yet fully arrived. And this time in between is uncomfortable and we’re tempted to go back to what we’ve always known.
But if we can tolerate being stripped of the familiar, we can find our way toward our better.
Cleaning out the old is clearing out the landscape of our life to allow for new growth to take place.
Sometimes these seeds are already planted but they’re being choked out by our old habits and comfortable patterns. And at other times clearing out the old simply frees us from distractions and gives us a fresh start to consider altogether new opportunities.
Either way, it becomes an act of faith to leave what we’re accustomed to and trust God as we enter into the new.
In the end, it’s okay to hang onto what works. But don’t let the nostalgia for what has been keep you stuck. Be willing to clean out the old and courageously enter the new God has in store for you.
Photo by Oziel Gómez on Unsplash
