Dead Stuff

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph 4:22-24)

I was thinking of this passage as Kristi and I raked leaves recently. The wind was causing the branches to sway like they were trying to shake more dead leaves away in order to prepare for new life next spring. It reminded me of how we are invited to shake off sin and old dead things in order to put on the new life in Christ. I sometimes wish that could happen with my grey hairs, but perhaps the grey should not be shed. Maybe grey hairs are a sign of purification, like sins turned white as snow as mentioned by the prophet IsaiahJ. (That’s an encouragement to those of us growing white on top)

And so Kristi and I cleaned up the dead leaves, even though they kept on falling. Sometimes we end up doing that, don’t we, cleaning up after ourselves and others who have made messes. That sometimes requires a lot of love and patience. But in community, in a partnership, with teamwork, cleaning things up is a source of joy because it makes room for new things in Christ.

At one point the wind started blowing so hard that we took a break, watching one of our piles begin to blow across the church parking lot. I fully expected to look out later to see a mess in the parking area, but God’s wind had blown the dead foliage completely out of sight, like He does when He forgives and removes our sins as far as the east is from the west.

Help me to know, Lord, when I need to shake off some dead stuff.

“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith….” (Heb 12:1b-2a)