Out With The Old-In With The New…Sort of

It was a sad day in the Oestreich household this past month. After thirty five and a half years we let go of our landlines and went to using just our cell phones. No longer are there any phones attached to the walls of our home. No longer are we restricted as to what room can we make or take phone calls or check voice messages.

What this also meant is that we also let go of our old phone number. One of our adult children exclaimed; “But that is the only number I’ve ever known for the house!”

It also meant that we no longer go through the ritual of checking our phone for voice messages as soon as we come into the house (after being gone for awhile). I should note that even after two weeks we still go to the spot where the old phone hung on the wall… 

I also (in this spirit of out with old and in with the new) just changed my email provider. After twenty two years I figured that it was time for a change; out with the old and in with the new…sort of…because I will probably since keep occasionally (daily) checking the old account...

As I informed my friends, the overwhelming response was; “people still use that provider?” In other words; “it’s about time that you caught up with the rest of us!”

Generally, I like change; I like variety, I like to take out the old and bring in the new…sort of… otherwise I wouldn’t still be using the old email service. I kept it (mostly) because my business cards still had the old email address as well as our old phone number.

New email address, new phones, new phone numbers, and new business cards.

The phrase; “Out with the old and in with the new”  generally means that it is time to make some changes by getting rid of old stuff and replacing it with new stuff, and that doing this is the best thing to do. 

But as I ponder the New Year that is approaching, I realize that not everything that is old should be tossed out to make way for something new.

If I got rid of everything that was old in my life in order to bring in something new, I would lose some very valuable items in my life; both physical items as well as habits or disciplines that have been assets in my life.

Habits such as getting up early enough every day so that I can have daily devotions, shower, shave, eat, and have plenty of time to do so and arrive where I need to be ahead of time.

Because our house is over one hundred and five years old, we keep items that are old because they still work, look cool, and some consider that they have additional value by calling them antiques. 

If I was going to apply ‘out with the old and in with the new’ to my marriage simply because Cathy is starting to have winkles… (at least that is what I think I see when I squint as I try to focus on her face)… 

Then I would lose all of the relational equity that has come from years of going through good times as well as harder times. 

And, I would have to start all over again…and again…and again as I apply this philosophy ever so often when it ‘makes sense’ or would be convenient to do so. 

No, that is not what the phrase is saying.

Out with the old and in with the new has more has more to do with changing attitudes or ways of thinking and replacing it with other (hopefully better) ones, such as stopping your old way of doing something in order to adopt new ideas. 

In other words, today can be a new day to reevaluate how your life is going and start taking steps towards making changes.

If you don’t like your house or furniture or decorations, etc. start making a list to determine what you can and cannot afford to do at this time. Sometimes a coat of paint can make a huge difference in our mindset without breaking the bank!

If you don’t like your marriage or other relationships in your life, start making a list to determine what you can and cannot afford to do at this time. Get help; get advice from others who have your best interests in mind and will help you to fight to restore relationships, not just toss them aside. It is amazing to me just how fickle the heart can be and how quickly lusts seem to blind our eyes to love. 

With God’s help our hearts can once again return to love…in with the old and out with the new. When I try on my own to fix the problem, I fail miserably. It was only when I put situations in my life into the hands of the Lord that the transformation is possible.  

Much more awaits us all as new seasons come and go. Instead of being anxious to get someone or something new, we need to be grateful for all that we were able to do and see.

So how does your life look at this moment? God wants you to stop, turn to Him and to let Him make things new.

God says in His Word (the Bible) that He will make us new when we come to Jesus: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) 

God promises: “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

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HAPPY NEW YEAR