Written by Becky Toews
“Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:17)
I should have known better than to call our few days away at my brother-in-law’s cabin a “mini-vacation.” Our family vacations seem to be a magnet for catastrophe….
We were unloading the car outside of State College, PA, when we realized my suitcase was still at home. All I had with me was a book bag with my Bible, journal, and reading material. Other than that I didn’t even have a hairbrush. Or my laptop.
My thoughts were frozen in “what do we do now?” mode, even as my spirit whispered make the best of it. My husband offered to drive the 2 ½ hours back home to retrieve the suitcase, and although I was touched by his sensitivity, somehow that didn’t seem right. But the options were limited: either I could let frustration immobilize me, or I could allow my expectations to bend.
Little by little, my inflexibility started to give, and ideas began to surface. My flash drive (which I had inadvertently dropped into my bag) would work on Chip’s Netbook so I could still complete some work. A quick run into town would provide the necessities. (I even found a sundress on sale for $6.00!) I could make-do for the rest.
As we ate Chinese take-out later that night on the front porch, I was struck with how God had not only turned the circumstances around, but how he had so meticulously adjusted my wineskin. He had stretched my capacity for “being content” and deepened my trust in his faithfulness to “work all things together for good.”
I realize this experience hardly qualifies as “enduring hardship.” But I believe it is in the small setbacks where we learn to align ourselves increasingly with God’s character. In these small moments we choose either to shut down or grasp the opportunity to be enlarged.
In one of Paul’s last recorded messages, he wrote that he was “being poured out like a drink offering”. (2 Timothy 4:6) When I reach that time in life where I am “poured out” I hope the choices I’ve made will be evident. I pray that my life’s challenges would have caused my wineskin to have been expanded, not shrunk.
Father, help us remain flexible. Increase our capacity for pouring out to so many who need a touch of your love. Help us to be quick to let go of our expectations and to take hold of what You have for us. Amen
Questions: What are the consequences of refusing to stretch? How do you respond to change? What would you like your response to be?
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