As the wind whirled out our kitchen window, my husband of three days, decided to break out his sewing machine to mend a zipper on my favorite pair of jeans! Due to a wicked storm we both had a snow day from work! It made for the perfect mini moon! I was in aww as I watched him thread the bobbin and needle and carefully sewed a new zipper into an old pair of pants! It was remarkable!
The part that impressed me the most was not the fact that my husband could operate a sewing machine, but the fact that he found a zipper that was a perfect fit for the pants. It was just the right durability, color and size. The old pants and the new zipper worked well together, as if they were meant to be from the beginning.
How often in life do we experience the old and the new not meshing well? A new set of morals with an old group of friends or a new couch not blending with the old furniture. Sometimes the old and new are not meant to be. That is okay!! It’s a sign that it is time for a remodel in our lives.
Jesus preaches on the unsuitability of attempting to combine the old and the new. In Matthew 9:16 we read ‘No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunk cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse.’
This parable has been a biblical metaphor that I have glazed over for years. I never knew what an unshrunk cloth meant. Let me enlighten you! The unshrunk cloth refers to a cloth material that has not been prepared. It is impossible for a cloth to be in a newer state than when it is unshrunk. The stiffness of the unshrunk cloth was not ideal for mending worn and loose material because it wouldn't manipulate the same way. This would cause the tear to get worse, or for the article of clothing to become stiff and challenging to wear.
This parable is quite suitable for the transitions happening within my life right now. The day I said ‘I do’ I became a new person. I stepped into my vocation as a married woman. There are many old ways of life that do not mesh with my new married life. My ‘boy crazy’ past is over. Praying novenas to find my future husband is over. Dating is over. Praise Jesus! It would be absurd to bring those old areas of my life into my new life reality.
Lent has been a beautiful journey as well! Leading into Lent, I knew I had some mending to do within my soul. Instead of challenging myself with an unshakable penance, I decided to use patches that were familiar (old) but would assist my soul in becoming something new. This year, I have chosen a small penance in each area of health for lent. I am reading a lenten daily devotional to boost my spiritual health, I am being mindful of portion sizes for my physical health, and monitoring social media for my emotional health. I am mending the patches of my whole self so I can resurrect into something new.
Take a moment to reflect on your lenten penance. Is it something that will help you leave your old habits behind and deepen your relationship with our Lord? I pray that your lenten journey is fruitful and is leading you into something new.
Until Next Time~Your Sister in Christ
Abby