Out With the Old, In With the New...A Work in Progress
Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 2:52PM Already there are people in our neighborhood who have broken out their Christmas decorations, even though Thanksgiving has yet to pass. I have read several blog posts about this...people who are so looking forward to Christmas that they couldn't wait any longer to put out their decor. I have never seen anything like it. Getting the decorations out so early, I mean.
I actually love it. I wish we could leave the lights, and the garlands, the bows, and the wreaths, the trees, and the lights (oh, I already said that!) up all year. I suppose in the end that would make it less special, since we all look forward to the lovely glow, the something-different-in-the-air this time of year.
As I was driving along the other day this caught my attention for a couple of reasons...
It makes me think of myself.
The pumpkins are up and have been for a while, celebrating fall and the change of the seasons. They symbolize all things autumn...the color of the leaves that gradually shift from green to gold, to orange and red; the carving of pumpkins; the gradual departure of heavy summer days and the arrival of crisper weather; the children dressed up tromping through the streets in search of treats rather than tricks; the anticipation of a feast at which we pay special attention to our blessings and recall all that we have to be thankful to our Provider for.
Now, the garland has been hung gracefully and secured with lovely bows. This greenery symbolizes the Christmas season. (I'm putting a personal spin on this, okay?) In the midst of the falling, dying leaves, there are evergreens, full of life. The red bows help us to remember how we are tied together, united in Christ, redeemed by his sacrifice. The Christmas decorations usher in the season of Advent; we wait for the day when we celebrate the birth of our Lord, and we wait for his coming again...this time as our reigning King and mighty Deliverer forever.
Even though the Christmas garlands adorn the pillars, the pumpkins still sit on top; on the outside they hold their appearance well. But what are they like on the inside? They have been sitting there for quite a while, and it is likely that they are starting to deteriorate on the inside. They are no longer in their original state; after being outside, battered by the elements day after day, they are beginning to rot. They are dying.
But this rottenness doen't stop the garlands from being hung. It doesn't keep the garlands from being lovely and full of life. The garlands' beauty does not depend on nor is it lessened by the pumpkins that are now less than perfect.
I am perched atop a pillar, of sorts. Like the pumpkin that matures during a time of change I, too, grow older amidst a changing world, one that seems never to be able to offer stability, nor a promise of steadiness. In this world, things are fleeting. Yes, there is beauty, and there are blessings; there is also dying and sadness. It is hard not to feel the effects of the constant battering received by the world around me. And sometimes, on the inside, I feel plain old rotten.
BUT...
In spite of all that the world can throw at me, in spite of the state of my insides, in spite of the fact that we all are subject to the passing of time and its effects, there is a new garment that has been fixed upon me. It is beautiful. It is perfect. It is draped about my shoulders and it was given to me, and now it is as though it were mine. This pure and lovely robe covers all my imperfections, all my rottenness. It unites me with the One to whom it belongs, as well as with all the others to whom He offers it. (It's a size extra-large! His whole church can fit into it.) Nothing I do or don't do can take away or change the beauty or perfection of the garment or the One who gave it to me. He doesn't ever change.
Tonight I am resting in that knowledge, clinging to the robe of Christ's righteousness that He so graciously has given to me, that I might be called a daughter of God.
Ephesians 4:22-24
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.
2 Cor. 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
some thoughts
Reader Comments (6)
What a great post!
Beautifully written. Heartfelt.
I have been mulling over similar thoughts lately. Although you expressed this much more beautifully than I would have!
Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you for your kind words! And for walking along.
that was awesome - absolutely awesome. i feel exactly the same way God bless
I love your perspective on things. I, too, am dragging out all the Christmas decorations this week. I am a strict-no-decorations until after Thanksgiving kind of gal, but I think that Thanksgiving is a fine time to be thankful for the most precious gift we've ever received--Jesus Christ!
I really like the way you have your blog divided out into the different categories. I'm hoping to do that at some point. Oh, by the way, "howdy" from your newest reader!