Winner Annouced/ Winning The Battle

And the winner of #TheBestYes is…… Mary T!! Congratulations, Mary! Please contact me with your mailing address.

Winning The Battle

I’ll never forget him—a thin, gray haired old man with shaky hands hunched over his grocery cart. Traffic was held up on either side as the old man tried turning his cart around in the middle of the isle. The poor man would shuffle his feet forward, turn the cart an inch maybe two, and then shuffle his feet backwards. Then, repeat the process. Some folks were beginning to complain as they backed down the isle. I wanted to turn around too but compassion for him filled my heart. It was divine compassion that comes from our new nature—the nature we receive when we come to Christ.

In that moment, there was no doubt what the Holy Spirit was prompting me to do. I was to help the fellow out. I stepped forward and inquired,

“Sir, may I turn your cart around for you?”

He agreed with a nod of his head. I could tell he was confused. After I got him turned around and pointed in the opposite direction, I expected a “thank-you” and the two of us would part company. Instead, he stood there and looked at me with his baby blues like a puppy does when it wants to go home with you.

At that moment, my dueling natures began to battle.

You don’t have time to help him further. My old, selfish nature persuaded. You have things to do. Just when I was about to agree with my old nature, the Holy Spirit whispered back, “Do unto others… Remember, you’ll be old one day.”

This was a situation where I could put off  my old nature that is hostile toward God (and died with Christ) or I could allow my new nature—Christ in me—to respond. If I let my old nature rule, the Spirit of God is unable to exert His power. On the other hand, when a woman yields to the Holy Spirit, He empowers her to put aside her own needs for the needs of another. Obeying the prompting of the Spirit allows your new nature to win over the old. The bible calls this “putting off the old and putting on the new.”

It was a tough battle, but I chose to submit to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and spent that afternoon helping an old man fill his grocery list. As we shopped, he told me about his life. Recently he had lost his wife. “She use to do all of our shopping.” He explained. Now I knew why he was so helpless. This was a new experience for him.

“I know Peg’s gone but I can’t stop talking to her like she’s still here.” He shared as we made our way to the checkout. This morning I said to her, “Peg, it’s grocery day. I’m gonna need some help.” Then, he patted my hand and added, “She didn’t let me down.”

(Okay, someone pass the tissues.)

There’s something wonderfully satisfying when you walk in the power of your new nature that your old nature can never quite fulfill.

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires” (Eph 4:22).

“And to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph 4:24).