Are You Trying to Fit Into Old Wineskins?
By Linda Ranson Jacobs

“Neither do men 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

One spring day I was walking in my neighborhood. As I rounded the curve I noticed a little girl that looked to be about 5 years of age, playing outside while her mom was working in the yard. When I came back around the next time the little girl was dragging out a large tub. As I passed by her house she began to pull out the garden hose.

The next time around the block, the hose was in the bucket, water was spilling out over the sides and the little girl was nowhere to be seen. In just a moment she came running out of the house and had on what appeared to be last year’s swimsuit. Evidently she had grown quite a lot over the winter. She gleefully jumped in the tub of water. She tried to sit down in the tub. She stood, got out of the tub and walked around looking at it. With a look of determination she took a running jump and headed for the water again. No matter how hard she tried, she no longer fit in that small tub.

The little girl with her too little swim suit and the tub she could no longer fit into reminded me of a lot of single parents that have experienced a change in their lives. Some adults continue to try and go back and fit into their old life. Maybe you have experienced a crisis such as divorce or the death of a husband and you just can’t quite accept how your life has turned out. So you try to go back and fit into a life that no longer fits.

In Matthew 9:17 it says, “Neither do men 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.” Jesus brings a “newness” to our life. He doesn’t want us to try and fit into our old life. He wants us to pour ourselves into a new and better life with Him.

Each experience we have in life grows us and matures our life with Christ. People we meet become part of our living history. Attitudes change, trust levels change. Friends come and go. Hopefully our faith walk grows to the point we can’t fit into old wineskins.

“I live by faith in the son of God, who loved and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20b

This publication is protected under U.S. Copyright laws [© Linda Ranson Jacobs, 2008] However, it is also a ministry to those who need it ... so, while you may pass along this article freely, please check before reprinting anything in another publication. In most cases, all she requires is proper credit.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Nothing in this or other emails or materials from Linda Ranson Jacobs should be considered as psychological or legal advice. Linda is not a psychologist, psychiatrist, therapist, or lawyer. These suggestions are simply suggestions and not guaranteed solutions to your particular problems. Linda offers this information because she was a single mom for years and ran a child care where the majority of her children were from single parent families. She offers support, encouragement, and suggestions to help you succeed as a single parent.