Daily Devotional: Obsolete
"In speaking of a new covenant, he has made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and growing old will soon disappear." — Hebrews 8:13 NRSVUE
“Just over my left shoulder it sits as I type this devotion. The monitor glows bright and its keyboard works to perfection. I might as well use that old computer as a boat anchor. It is outdated. Obsolete. They no longer make programs for it.”
I ran across this piece of writing as I was doing Spring Cleaning in January (don’t judge — it’s cold outside!). I considered how many computers I had worked with since the writing. I had many favorite computers. Some were the most excellent of their day. The kind that revolutionized how we live. And they still functioned. But when they could not be updated, what can you do?
Still, I missed the old machines. I did some of my best writing on those keyboards. Pounding away late into the night. And yes, I mean “pound.” I learned how to type on an old Underwood manual typewriter, so I literally pounded!
But they all became obsolete. Time to move on.
I’ve discovered there are ways of doing things that I need to discard. There are ways of thinking I need to change. Sometimes they worked well enough. And there was nothing intrinsically wrong with them. But they are now outdated. Obsolete. My needs and goals are different now, and I need to change. The old was good, but the new is better. “Obsolete” doesn’t mean something was bad. It just means its time is over, and something better is waiting for us.
Prayer: Father, always help me to honor the good that came before, but to be willing to move on, knowing You are preparing the way, and walking beside me.
Rev. Dr. Michael Sanders has books of devotions available locally at Ken’s Village Market in Indian River.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Daily Devotional: Obsolete
