Don’t Pour New Wine Into Old Wineskins…..
“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.” -Luke 5:37-38
A gentle breeze from the gulf rustled through the blonde curls of my three year old daughter’s hair, as she watched her daddy repeat that verse to me. We stood there, next to the ocean, while the sun painted a bright orange sky. Our 6 beautiful children were our audience as we exchanged fresh, new wedding vows to one another with our toes in the sand. We were coming out of a very difficult season. After 15 years of marriage, we made the decision to start over. With the boys in their linen and the girls in their flowy dresses, they listened intently to every word and promise we made to one another. But I knew the verse their daddy used as his main focus of his vows, was likely impossible for their young minds to comprehend.
As their mother, I made a conscious effort to demonstrate the power and promise of that parable through the way I lived my life. For me, that meant moving forward. It meant me trading heartache and bitterness with grace and forgiveness.
Sometimes, those blessings require leaving behind the old, in order to receive the new. God gives us many references in the bible of making all things new. It is often accompanied with trials and much difficulty.
It’s human nature to be creatures of habit. We tend to retreat to our comfort zones.
God doesn’t typically keep us where we are comfortable.
As I was cleaning out my children’s closet over the summer, I found myself holding onto items that no longer fit them. I had a hard time acknowledging that my babies were growing and their clothing from the previous season no longer fit. I could hold onto it, but carrying a wardrobe that no longer fit, would seem like a burden and pointless. In order for us to make room for the new, we have to do away with the old…and let go of the things that no longer fit in our lives. In this beautiful life God has given us. Transitions are necessary. Seasons change and so do we. I am not the same woman in my 30’s, as i was in my 20’s.
Growth requires stretching. I love how Jesus used the wineskin parable to demonstrate what he meant. Old wineskins that have held old wine, are no longer elastic. Therefore, it cannot hold the new wine, without ruining it and busting the skin. That same stretching God is desiring from us requires faith and action. Faith is best demonstrated by fully surrendering our ways, our plans, and our comfort zones. Even if that means walking blindly into unfamiliar territory.
The enemy pulls out any tactic he can to keep us from moving forward. Maybe it’s the fear that keeps us paralyzed…or maybe the pain from the past. But God wants us to leave all of those things behind so that we can fully walk in the freedom. If we put too much focus on where we’ve been, it could hinder where we are going.
Whether it be a friendship ending, a career change, a fresh start with your marriage, or starting over in a new place . We can cling to the promise that God is already there.
When we struggle with self worth, we can have complete confidence in Christ.
When we are crippled with fear or anxiety, God will be our refuge.
When we battle trust issues, we can fully trust in Christ.
We cannot fully embrace and receive the blessings God has in store for us, if we keep a tight grip on the very things we should lay down at his feet. Only he can bring beauty from ashes.
We just have to trust him.
Let us die to the old…so that we can be made new. It is then, that God will pour out fresh wine in our lives.
