Bring back the old…

If you don’t know me, let me tell you, I love antiques. Okay, that may be a bit of an understatement… I absolutely adore all things antique and I am very particular about them. I enjoy keeping them in their natural state and using them everywhere I can. I love watching shows where people find old, antique items and re-purpose them. Some would call me a purist; I love to be able to see the original. I believe there is something to be said for keeping it as close to it’s original state and not losing the item in the process. Now having this sort of fondness for items could be a problem for some, especially now that the current trends in home decor have swung toward the rustic and antique. These days, trendy decor is antique or made to look that way. Fortunately, husband just might love “old, rusty junk” as much as I do, so we don’t have too big of a problem when I buy something! Better yet, he loves to find things! So many of our treasures have been “found” and we have rescued them and put them back to use. We have been antiquing since our honeymoon and what’s popular now has always been “our style.”

We have collected and discovered items over the years and they fill our home, inside and out, with the memories of what those items have been and seen in their lifetime. Some items were found locally and some came from other countries. Some of them belonged to family members and those carry such sentimental value. Some have been found in old, run-down barns or hidden in the woods. Some items were found buried in the dirt and needed a good soak and wash to really determine what they even were. Some were free and some were paid for. Some were gifts from my husband and those might be some of my favorites! I could just about tell you about every single item we have, it’s story and where it came from. Needless to say, I might have a bit of an addiction, but what could be wrong with keeping those “old” things alive and giving them a purpose?

The picture below is a picture of one of my favorite finds though and it tells the story that I feel led to share today. You look at it and see two dented, old salt and pepper shakers. I see something that I bought at a random yard sale while out of town one day. We weren’t in this little town to shop, were were just passing through and those two little cans were something that I had been wanting for a long time. We had looked at several sets before and husband had persuaded me not to buy them because every time we found a set, they were usually reproductions. They weren’t the real thing. You see on this particular day, we found the real thing. The metal is so old and soft that you have to be careful to unscrew the caps to refill them because they will bend and dent even more. I found exactly what I was looking for, the real thing. That’s one of the reasons that they are so special. I am learning that God cares about the little things in my life as much as I do, even when they are silly to others. I found them one day when I least expected it and paid much less, too. He loves me like that, and He loves you that way as well. If we are patient and don’t try to get ahead of Him, His timing and His ways are perfect. (Psalms 18:30 This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true.) He is faithful to give us what we need and sometimes what we want. And when He does it, it’s always the “real” thing.

The other reason they are my favorite is because they are salt and pepper shakers. What a reminder that being the “salt of the earth” never goes out of style! For most people, they would have never given them a second glance. Even the people who were selling them didn’t see their value. I bought them for $2! In our world and culture today, most never give God’s word and “how we used to do things” a second glance either. But salt is still necessary, and in today’s current situation, even more so. The world around us needs our saltiness. We need to be the salt and light that we were designed to be. Matthew 5 says, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. ” At some point, we threw the old out in exchange for the new and in doing so we have become that which is being trampled under people’s feet.

Friends, it is time that we wake up and stir ourselves. It is time that we bring back the “old” values and morals and return to our saltiness. Maybe it is time that we, the people of God, dust off a few of those “old” things and begin to put them back to use. Maybe you too have found yourself busy and your bible untouched. Dust it off and put it back to use! Maybe there are a few “old” songs that haven’t been sung for a while and maybe your children don’t even know them? Sad to say, but it’s the case in my house as well. There’s an old song that I haven’t heard or sung in a long time- “Jesus is the answer for the world today, above Him there’s no other, Jesus is the way!” It’s time for us to offer those around us the “real thing”, the real and only answer for our troubles and problems. It’s time to pull them out from where they’ve been hidden and sing them and teach them to those who may need their words. It’s time for us to dust off our values and morals and shake off the rust of complacency and pull them out for everyone to see! Decorate your homes and social media platforms with those antique values and let’s begin to make Christianity and morals the trend of the day! Just because it’s considered old or old fashioned, doesn’t mean it has lost it’s savor and usefulness. Praying for you and I today, that we will find something “old and rusty” to bring it out and wipe it off and put it back to use!

I remember the days of old;
    I meditate on all that you have done;
    I ponder the work of your hands.
I stretch out my hands to you;
    my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Psalms 143:5-6

I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
 I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
    you have made known your might among the peoples. Psalms 77:11-14