Out With the Old, in With the New

After going blind in 2015, I desperately wanted my life to return to “normal.” 

Whether my sight came back or not, I was bound and determined to return to who I was before. I wanted to do the same activities, live the same way, and enjoy the same things. 

It didn’t take long to realize, however, that the “normal” I had experienced before would never completely be attained again. 

While some things, like driving, were impossible to do without my sight, other activities simply were not fun anymore, or I found that I had lost interest in them altogether. 

Not only had my physical ability to see changed, but it seemed as though, in some ways, I had changed as well. 

It took me a long time to realize that certain parts of my old life just could not be integrated into my new life, and I would have to adjust to a “new normal”...

The sun beaming and rising over a field of green grass signifying entering a new season.

In Luke 5, Jesus gives us powerful insight into the battle of “old” vs. “new.” 

In this chapter, Jesus is surrounded by a variety of individuals including tax collectors, His disciples, and Pharisees when He tells the following parable:

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’” (Luke 5:37-39, ESV)

In this parable, the old wineskins represent the old covenant, the law of Moses. This refers to the commands that were given to the Jewish people through Moses. In this law, there were many rituals and practices that the people were expected to perform, many of which came to be misinterpreted by people over the years. 

Through Jesus’s complete obedience to the law and by taking our punishment on the cross, the old covenant was fulfilled.

With this completion of the law, Jesus ushered in something new. 

We no longer have to fulfill the law in order to be clean in the eyes of God. 

Yes, we should always strive to imitate Jesus’s complete obedience, but as humans, we are inevitably going to fall short of this perfect lifestyle. 

What Jesus did with His fulfillment was to give us forgiveness for our sins, access to His righteousness, and a path to the Father and eternal life despite our imperfect nature through our faith in Christ as our Savior.  

We see from this parable that sometimes it is completely okay to break with the old and welcome in the new with open arms. 

A mason jar of daisies sitting on a wooden table outside in front of trees with a cute tag in front saying, “welcome” in script.

Especially when that “new” comes from changes that Christ has made within us. 

If I am being honest, my loss of sight was not the only reason that I changed so much in 2015 and the years that followed. 

In addition to those physical changes, I was also being changed spiritually. 

As I began to grow my relationship with Christ and focused more on Him, it allowed Him to change parts of me that desperately needed His touch. 

I invite you today to welcome the change that Christ wants to make in your life. 

The “old” may feel comfortable and familiar, but I assure you that the “new” is much more promising and enduring.

How can you open your heart to the change that Christ wants to make in you today?

Text that says, "This blog is sponsored by:"

David Pollard at Raymond James Partners Financial Group, which specializes in helping families and businesses manage their investments so that they can spend their time where it matters most. 

Tillman Eye Center, which serves Carrollton, GA with a wide range of optometry services in a professional and comfortable environment with staff who care. 

Plaza Home Care, a medical supply and equipment company located in downtown Villa Rica, where they are big enough to serve you and small enough to care about you. Plaza Home Care is committed to providing you and your family with quality medical equipment, such as CPAP compression hoses, walkers, lift chairs, and more. The staff are sure to earn your trust as they listen to your needs, follow through on their word, and provide uncompromising levels of customer care.