A WORD FOR TODAY, July 24, 2026

[Peggy Hoppes]

We pray you are blessed by this daily devotion.

 

Blessings. Peg

www.awordfortoday.org

A WORD FOR TODAY, July 24, 2026

“Yahweh says, ‘Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, “Where is the good way?” and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’” Jeremiah 6:16a, WEB

I went to the kitty store yesterday. I confess that I didn’t go for essentials, I went to buy new toys to spoil our babies. Well, I was looking for some replacement parts for old toys they have come to love. When our previous kitties died, we put everything non-perishable into a box in the expectation that we would adopt new friends eventually. It took four years, but we were happy to have everything when we brought Mimi and Zeke home, including a basketful of toys.

There have been a few of those toys that have become favorites. There are some puff balls that are perfect for carrying and batting around like a soccer ball. There are four, although most of them have disappeared. I’m sure they are under a bed or couch, and they will show up one day, but I’ve tried to find more just like them so that there will always be at least two. They also love the teaser stick toys with feathers on a string. Unfortunately, these wear out quickly, as the feathers are pulled out and the strings get chewed. Evening play time with these sticks has become a daily habit; they wait expectedly in the evening when they see we are going through our evening rituals. 

Their favorite of the (many!) sticks we use is falling apart. Feathers fall out nearly every day, so I’ve been looking for a replacement. Unfortunately, the toy is nearly twenty years old, and they just don’t make them like that anymore. I decided to buy a new type with easily replaceable feathers. It is also a better made toy that should last a long time. They love the new one! I also bought a tunnel that has already gotten plenty of use.

It really isn’t necessary to buy new toys. They have plenty and actually prefer some things that money can’t buy. They are happy with an empty box, some packing paper, or a bottle cap. The best part is having one another, chasing each other around the house. One of the things I’ve noticed over the years with all our kitties (and our children) is that old toys get buried and forgotten. All it takes sometimes is moving something to a new place to renew interest in it. They love playing with a basket, but they stop after a few days until I move it somewhere else. Everything old seems new again and they play with it with gusto. I like to spoil my kitties, but I know that old favorites will always be the best. I saw this happen with my children over the years. Whenever we cleaned out their toyboxes, they discovered old toys they forgot existed. They did not want to let them go. “Those are my favorites,” they insisted even though those toys had been ignored for ages. 

My kitties don’t need new toys, but I like to buy them. My kids rarely needed new toys, but there was always something they wanted because it seemed better than what they already had. We aren’t very different, even with our spiritual life. How often do we chase after new ideas and theologies, buying every book or hopping to new churches in the hope that we'll find answers to our questions and the fulfillment of our expectations? We chase worldly trends  following the new best thing. Unfortunately, for many Christians, the old things get lost under the new and they are forgotten. It is those old things, the foundations of our faith, where we truly meet God and dwell with Him. We can find joy and peace in the new things, but we should never forget that the ancient habits, liturgy, hymns, ideology, and especially the scriptures have always been a place where God is found and our relationship with Him is built.

The scriptures often talk about not turning back to old ways, like the book of Hebrews that warns the readers that returning to their old faith means turning from Christ. However, the scriptures also remind us that God set a path for us from the beginning that leads us to a deep and abiding relationship with God through Christ. Thankfully, sometimes God reminds us of the goodness of the old things so that we won’t get lost in the chase for everything new, because it is there that we find the true rest that comes from faith in Him. 

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