Old Sneakers

It is early Sunday morning and as usual I am rising early to get ready to sing for Mass. This particular Sunday morning I have risen very early because my old enemy "the GERD" is on the warpath and it’s just easier to get up and address it with some carbohydrates and medicine. I dressed quickly, its cold in the house this morning, however; when I went to put on my shoes I found that my rather smallish feet were puffy and would not shove into my trade mark topsiders, in fact the only shoes they were going to go into are my old (and rather beat up) McGregor sneakers complete with the oh so stylish Velcro straps-yippee! I definitely am not dressed to impress this Sunday.

Its kind of that way with our Christian life, our Lord Jesus Christ gives us new threads to put on (the white robes of righteousness), but we struggle to keep them clean. I am not sure what foot apparel the Lord recommends, but I am willing to guess it’s not my old beat up sneakers. I know that in my Christian life even clothed in new righteous attire, spiritually I insist on putting the old sneakers back on.

This is what St Paul talks about in Romans Chapter 7-my old nature wars with the new nature given me by Christ. There are parts of my life that I must bring under subjugation to the will of Christ. Earlier St Paul spiritually throws up his hands, Oh wretched man that I am (in the King James version) who will deliver me from this body of death (7:24)?
But then old St Paul gives us the get out of jail free card in chapter 8. If you are in Christ, there is no condemnation. How do you know if you’re in Christ? You have his Spirit prompting you to do and think about things that lead to life and peace. St Paul gives us a check list in Philippians 4:8 (8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things-NIV). How do you know you are in the Spirit? St Paul again spells it out in Galatians (22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control-Galatians 5).

Some day I will fully recover from my physical difficulties and I will go back to my topsiders. I will have moved far enough down the road to recovery to let go of the beat up old sneakers I think about what in my spiritual life is still putting on the beat up old sneakers and how can I, with our Lords help, move away from it.

You see spiritually the old sneakers just don’t go with the new ensemble.

We will speak again my internet friend, the Lord willing,

(an ever shrinking) Big D