Good morning! There is a specific shirt that I have had for probably the last 20 years. It is now a comfortable shirt that I wear around the house. I would never wear it out because I think when you look at the surface area of the shirt, there are more holes than there is material LOL!
For some reason, I just can’t come to grips with getting rid of it. I don’t wear it all the time, but honestly the thing is ridiculous! It makes me think about my life before coming to know and accept Jesus as my Savior.
The wear and tear of normal everyday use put holes in my shirt to the point where I no longer feel comfortable wearing it in public. My family has seen me wear the shirt many times and I still choose to wear it, even though they think its ridiculous!
In a similar way, our lives have developed holes from normal everyday activities. Maybe someone hurt you, or something tragic has happened, or things just never seem to go the way you think they are supposed to go and you just get tired. We try to cover up the holes when we are in front of others, but we (and the people close to us) still know they are there.
But the shirt is so comfortable because it has been worn over and over. The holes don’t really bother me because I have become accustomed to where they are and most of them I don’t really even see.
The same is true in our lives – we get used to the holes that we are aware of and we don’t even realize that the other ones are there! We try to fill the holes or mask them with whatever we can, only to find out that all of those things we try to fill the void with are only a temporary satisfaction that leaves us wanting more!
“I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”
Ecclesiastes 2:9-11
Here is Solomon, the king who had such great wealth that he literally wanted for nothing, but there was still emptiness. When I say he had great wealth, it was more than money; it was possessions, it was influence, it was power, but still, none of it satisfied! The book of Ecclesiastes ends with the conclusion of this search to fill the void.
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13
When it was all said and done, there is only one person who has everything we could ever need! Only one person can permanently satisfy our need for something more – it’s the one true God!
“For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”
Psalm 107:9
“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
Psalm 16:11
God doesn’t just fill the holes in our lives, He makes our lives whole by making us new! There is no saving this old shirt that I keep going back to, I need to get rid of it and buy a new one! But when it comes to our lives, God has bought us with the price of His Son, Jesus, and we become a NEW creation! The old is gone and the new has come!
Mer and I have made a pact moving forward that whenever we get a new piece of clothing, we go through our drawers and closet to get rid of an older one! This is exactly what we need to do when we accept the work of Jesus on our behalf – put on the new life that we have in Him, and abandon the old one!
Choose today to walk in the new life that is accessible through Jesus Christ! Don’t allow the holes from your past hold you back any longer and save yourself some time and heartache by going to the One who has everything you need!
Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder today that You have everything we could ever want or need! In You we can find comfort, joy, strength, peace, wisdom, and so much more! Help us to not look elsewhere to find what we need in You, but to go straight to the source instead! Help us to let go of the things that are holding us back from experiencing the abundant life You have for us! In Jesus Name – AMEN!
Be Transformed 