I hope it’s not true, but I wonder if I’m back to my old ways. 

This morning I was taking apart a speaker that wasn’t working, and the tool I was using slipped and struck my hand.

Immediately it hurt, but it wasn’t until a couple of minutes later that I saw blood. I realized then that it was more than just an ouch; I had cut myself. 

Normally that shouldn’t be a big deal. But where I struck my hand brought back some memories. 

Somewhere in my forties, I became a little clumsy.

There was one time that I was cutting off the bottom of a door in our basement so that it would not rub on the carpet. The door was big and I didn’t have a table to place it on. So I just propped the end of the door up on my leg and held it there with my left hand.

I’m not sure why I chose the particular saw I used, but it was very toothy and came to a sharp point at the end. I had other saws but I chose that keyhole saw. 

While I was sawing my way through the door, the saw slipped out of the groove and struck the base of my index finger. 

I flung my hand off the door, sending blood up to the ceiling.  Three ceiling tiles were ruined in the process that day.

I realized the cut needed more than a bandage; it needed stitches. Down to emergency we went. Lily drove; she was very concerned. 

When it was all said and done, the doctors said I was fortunate that I didn’t cut a tendon or a nerve.

Anyone can have an accident.

Three months later I was cutting some fibre board for some sliding doors in another part of our basement. 

My tool of choice that time was a utility knife.  

As I scored down the length of the board, the knife slipped out of the groove and sliced into the top of my finger – same left hand index finger. 

This time Lily didn’t bother going to emergency with me. I did get more stitches.

No one would give me anything sharp to hold for some time after that. It was a running joke. 

But those were my old ways. I’m way more careful now … well, until this morning. 

To take that speaker apart, I was using a tool that was like a screwdriver but the end on it looked more like an ice pick. It’s called an awl, and it’s used for piercing and punching. And that’s just what I used it for. 

It slipped off the speaker case and pierced into the skin between my thumb and finger. 

You guessed it – on my left hand, just below my index finger. 

This time I’m hoping to avoid the emergency room, but my old ways may be catching up with me. I now have a hole in my hand and I haven’t been able to stop the bleeding.

I think I’ll get it under control. 

Here’s the thing: I find that it is so easy to go back to my old ways. It’s like they are second nature. When those old ways are destructive or harmful, you need to consciously replace them with new ways. You may also have some old ways that God wants you to replace with new ones. Don’t just fall back to them. Ask the Lord how you can replace those old ways with something that is beneficial, good and pure. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What old ways do you need to replace? Leave your comments and questions below.

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