Attempting
to replace the lead in a mechanical pencil, I ran into a problem. A tiny piece that
remained was blocking the path of the new piece. This small piece of lead was
no longer useful but blocked the way of a new and effective piece. I could not seem to push this piece in
without possibly breaking the longer piece. I had to grasp it and pull it out
to clear the opening. Once the small piece had been removed the new, long piece
went in easily. Within moments I was using the pencil as intended.
That first
piece of lead has served its purpose well. It had been used repeatedly to write
a variety of lists, notes and stories.
It had once been long and full and had proved to be reliable for its
time. But now it was rendering my favorite
mechanical pencil useless. No matter how many times I pressed the button to extend
the lead, I could no longer write anything. The pencil was still perfectly good.
It now simply needed a new piece of lead.
Times in
our lives come when God wants to begin a new work. He desires to place more in
us to make us useful for this new time. In order to enter this new phase of
life, we have to be willing to let go of what is left of the previous phase. We
cannot spend our time trying to reopen doors that have been closed. But we must
let go of the past in order to walk in God’s will. “…forgetting what lies behind and
straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the
[supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.” (Philippians 3:13b-14 AMP) Sometimes the things that we leave behind are
good things. The time of their productiveness has simply come to an end.
Our greatest example in life, Jesus,
did not stay in one place re-creating the miracles He had already performed. He
could’ve remained at one location; preaching and feeding the multitudes. This may
have even seemed wise. Yet, in his three-year ministry, we have only two
recorded incidents of this method of sharing the good news of the kingdom. (See
Matthew 14 and 15) Instead, He
continually stayed in close contact with his Father through prayer. He only acted
as His Father directed. “So Jesus added, When you have lifted up the
Son of Man [on the cross], you will realize (know, understand) that I am He
[for Whom you look] and that I do nothing of Myself (of My own accord or on My
own authority), but I say [exactly] what My Father has taught Me.” (John 8:28 AMP)
The apostle Paul, another great
example from Scripture, also had a varied ministry. He went on three recorded
missionary journeys, staying in towns for as long as God directed him to. He
wrote letters to many churches. To some he wrote only once and to others he
wrote several letters. He even went on to Jerusalem knowing that trials and
imprisonment would meet him there. This trip ended up in Rome, where he spent
several years as a prisoner and wrote many of the letters that are in the New
Testament. Preacher, traveler, writer; all were important parts of Paul’s
lifetime ministry.
Times and seasons of life will
begin, end and begin again. All are important and have a purpose, both in our
lives and in the lives of those we touch. We cannot hold onto one season, when
God has chosen to start another. “Do not
[earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. Behold,
I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the
wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:18-19 AMP) Remembering
all the good accomplished and lessons learned, we need to let go and take that
step forward. We can look with hopeful
expectation of what God has for us next.
Do not allow yourself to be stuck
where you have been. Let go of what you are holding on to and allow God to lead
you into new and exciting paths.
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