August 21
“Put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:24)
It happens to all of us.
Your shoes are worn out. They have holes in the soles. They have rips on the sides. They have an aroma… that draws flies. You know that you need new ones. But THESE are so comfortable – they just feel so… right.
But it is getting obvious (to everybody) that someday (very soon) you will be walking along and your shoes will just disintegrate – leaving you in your bare feet (and looking really silly!).
So you do what you know you need to do… you go to the shoe store. You look around for the styles you like – the shoes that appeal to you – or that you think will serve you well (on your job, or running, or just for casual wear, etc.).
Then, you try them on. And you notice it immediately… they just don’t feel right. You check the size… Yep. My size… exactly. But they are really tight. They put the squeeze on 
your feet. They are stiff. They don’t bend very well. You try walking in them – and find that they rub on your feet in all the wrong places. You are sure (after 30 seconds) you are getting a blister (at least, it sure feels that way).
You conclude: the new just doesn’t feel right. You’re not sure if they will ever feel right.
You find yourself looking (longingly!) back at the old. Maybe your “bare-foot fears” are unwarranted. Maybe there are another few years left in them. At this point, you are willing to risk it. The new is strange. The old is familiar.
The old feels more like… me.
This is very much like the problem we all face whenever it comes to God’s provision of the new self – for each of us. 
The new IS new. It is better in every way. It provides protection, safety, support – in ways that the old never could. But it just doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t feel like us. It feels strange. Maybe even restricting. It is touching us in places that we don’t really like being touched. Though it promises to provide all that we need, we actually find that we prefer the old.
The old is what we are used to. It is what we have relied upon for years! It is the old standby. It is what we have always fallen back on. It is what we have KNOWN.
The new self is unknown to us. We have to grow into it. We have to become used to it. Our feet have to learn to adapt to the new shape – because that new shape is the best for us (perfect for us).
Of course, we all know the solution to our old shoe problem… You throw away the old (so you are not able to run back to them whenever you want) and you commit to wearing the new. 
Though they don’t feel like you (at the beginning) – eventually, that feeling subsides. After a while, you begin to discover that your feet feel better – you feel more supported, more capable, more ready for what may challenge your feet in the days ahead.
In time, you come to the realization… The new really IS better – in every way.
The same is true for our lives. Our old self is no good. We need the new self. And God has freely provided His best to us. We just have to decide what we are going to wear today…
Prayer Focus: God, this day I take off the old… and put on the new. I will keep wearing the new because I know that the new is what You have provided for me.
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