" 'No one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.' " (luke 5:37-38)
A few years ago, when I was eagerly/anticipantly redecorating my room, I had decided it was surely time to repaint my dresser which had served me faithfully all the years before. Chipped and tarnished, it was almost begging to be at least considerably decent. I'm a good listener and it was a reasonable request. So I accomodated.
So my mother, the perfectionist (which was appropriate for such an occasion), walks by and says, "You know you have to sand that before you start painting, right?".
"what!?"
"yeah, if you don't, the paint won't stay as well and might eventually peel off."
"MoOom," I complain with great enthusiasm (one of my expertises), "it will be FINE!." I am lazy.
She's getting frustrated. I'm not helping. She rolls her eyes. "whatever, kenzie."
CRAP. why did she say that! Now her perfectionism is rubbing off on me and I can't so much as look at the dresser without subcontiously desiring the entire sanding experience.
Then, with a scratchy contraption in my hand, I start all over.
analogies are fun, huh?
We tend to forget the phrase "go all out". It keeps popping up in this miscellaneous head of mine. Why do we try to replace old with old? Or simply try to cover up old with new, when really old is sitting underneath waiting to come out of relinguished captivity.
START OVER. God wants to make us NEW.! and I, myself, find that amazing. I have to give up my old chipped paint, sand down, and be God's blank canvas. His empty road on which he can travel. The old me is gone. He is all i think about. What we have is indeleble. Let God make you new. Give up your old and join me in something i have experienced as indescribable.
HEYyy! i guess you can teach a dog new tricks! | 
