Dirty laundry

I have boxes and boxes of old clothes out in the garage. My clothes. My kids old clothes. Boxes of them. I've kept them and moved them more times than I should admit. Mark is patient about them, he knows they are part of the letting go of the past part of my life that God is still working on with me.

God and I both know that as I move closer to Him I have less need of the past but still He allows me to cling on to some of the dirty laundry until I just don't need to anymore.

Some of it I can clean, renew, refresh and use again. But much of it has to be just tossed. Putting my new heart and body in old clothes of the past with remnants of a different life would be much like the pouring of new wine in old wine skins. God has transformed my life, my heart, the very essence of who I am; cleansed me anew. I need to respect that. Pouring myself back into old clothes that reflect a lifestyle not in tune with my walk with God today is becoming easier and easier.

I was out in the garage last night sorting through many of the clothes I used to wear, clothes that screamed for attention and perhaps were purchased only to provoke a glance. I came across a pair of shorts that I held up to Mark.

"Do you think if I can fit into these again, I should wear them?" I asked.

"Well, not outside anyway," my husband replied.

I tossed them in the trash along with many of the old reasons I would have purchased much of what is stored in those boxes.

The dirty laundry out in the garage, crammed in broken, worn out boxes, all represent a life past. Now I'm just working with God on getting the courage to quit sorting and just toss. Old wineskins shouldn't be given a chance to ruin new wine.