The Old Renewed

Once I had a handbag that could hold all I needed to carry, and I would take it with me wherever I went. I used this handbag until it began to get worn.

The thread began to shred, and the layers started to peel.

But I continued to use the handbag, ignoring the way it looked, even though it seemed to cry, “Help! I need some attention!” As time passed and I kept using it, I often wondered whether anyone else noticed the awful state it was in.

One day, I looked at my precious handbag and sighed.

Something had to be done! I took it from its resting place and emptied it of its contents. Then I took a basin and filled it with clean, soapy water.

I used a brush to gently scrub my handbag and a pair of scissors to clip away the unnecessaries. When all that was done, I took some clothes pins and hung my beloved handbag on the clothesline to dry. That evening when the sun and wind had done their work, I removed it from the clothesline. It was now crisp and dry and felt good in my hands.

Turning it over again and again, I enjoyed the fresh scent from its recent cleaning. Now my handbag did not look old anymore. In fact, I went on to use it for many more months before mustering the courage to replace it with a new handbag.

This experience brought to mind what can happen in our relationship with the Lord. We call on the Lord whenever, wherever, and for whatever circumstance troubles our lives, and He hears and answers our prayers. We continue to do so time and time again—often without stopping to replenish our spiritual tank by reading the Bible and seeking a closer walk with God through prayer, fasting, and supplication.

Our walk with God now resembles my well-loved but overused handbag. Sisters in Christ, strive with me! Let us determine to renew our old relationship with the Lord daily. Let us lift happy, grateful hearts in praise and thanksgiving to God for His manifold blessings so that like Job, we, too, can say, “My glory is fresh within me, and my bow is renewed in my hand” (Job 29:20, KJV).

Elizabeth Ida Cain