So Elisha left; he took his yoke of oxen and butchered them. He made a fire with the plow and tackle and then boiled the meat—a true farewell meal for the family. Then he left and followed Elijah, becoming his right-hand man. 1 Kings 19:21 (MSG)

Many years ago I lived in a small town and, as a warm-up to my exercise regimen, I shot hoops at the local YMCA. There was a group of men there who played a pick-up game almost every day. Though I shot the basketball, by myself, on a nearby court, I was never invited to join in their game. The one time I asked if I could play, I quickly learned that I was not welcome. Nevertheless, I would find myself at the gym at the same time each week working out and shooting hoops on another court. I listened to their conversations and it became clear that these men had all played basketball together for the local high school many years earlier. They got together multiple times each week to relive "the glory days." Without fail, I would over hear stories of their high school games, their parties, their girlfriends, and their adolescent adventures.

Everyone who knows me will testify that I enjoy a trip down Memory Lane once in a while, but these guys decided to build themselves a subdivision and live there.

As I read today's chapter, I found it interesting that Elisha burned his plow. He was striking out on a whole new leg of life's journey with Elijah. There would be no going back. He burned the tools of his former trade just to make sure. Sometimes we need to let go of the things that hold us back from taking the next step.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and welfl