It is a funny thing when we begin to differentiate between what we have inherited and what we have newly adopted in our lives. Physically we know the difference between an inherited heirloom and a brand new item given as a gift from a family member. We may look at the heirloom and find nothing of value in it other than the matter of it being passed down generation after generation. It is old, worn, out-dated and falling apart. But we hold on to it because it is an heirloom. Usually, it is seen as something with great value but again that is contextual. Some heirlooms we readily agree with their value. We see how they are valuable in today’s world, how we can still make use of them, acknowledge how they represent something of more than physical value to our family, and so on. Do we have the same discernment when it comes to our ideas and beliefs? Are we able to distinguish between present day gifts and heirlooms of thinking? How readily do we operate with the ideas and beliefs that are considered precious by our ancestor’s but do not apply today? Much like the story of the ham of which there are many variations. Zig Ziglar’s is one:
In Zig Ziglar’s ham story, he describes how the bride in a newly married couple cut off the end of the ham before baking it. Her husband asked why. The wife responded that her mother always cut off the end of the ham and that was the way it was supposed to be. Not accepting “the way it was supposed to be,” the husband called his mother-in-law and asked why she cut off the end of the ham before baking. The response was that her mother cut off the end of the ham. More curious than ever, the husband called grandma and asked her why she cut off the end of the ham. The answer was that she had a small oven and that was the only way to get the ham to fit.
How many beliefs about what needs to be cut off simply because it did not fit back then do we operate from without any conscious effort on our part? Do we pause, take a breath, and check in with our true sense of ourselves before we operate on an heirloom idea? God invites us to stop and take a look at how many of the ideas and beliefs are the heirlooms of our lives. Just because they were of great value way back when it does not mean they are still valuable today.
My prayer for us is the curiosity to pay attention to what ideas and beliefs we are using as valuable heirlooms yet have lost their value in our lives today.
dailydatewithgod 
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