About a month and a half ago, I went through the process of moving our two sons out of our house and into a rental home near where they are attending college.  I had been preparing for this time for a few weeks. I wasn't looking forward to it but, I had handled it ok.  This process is part of what is referred to as the "empty nest" which is a time when the children have moved out and it's you and your spouse at home.  My middle son had attended two years at another college and had lived in the dorms there.  But, he always came home for holidays and his room looked the same as it did when he was in high school and was living at home.  So, although it was tough to see him drive off to college, his room still looked the same which helped me deal with the transition some.
      About a week before the boys were going to move out it hit me that they were going to move their furniture as well.  The dorms had furniture; the rental house didn't.  THAT BOTHERED ME. 
      I thought "this isn't going to work.  We've got to do something to keep the bed-rooms looking similar to the way they are now." 
      So, I thought "we will buy new furniture for them to use in the rental house." 
      But, a quick look at the check-book told me that might not be the best idea.  "Ok, there is more than one way to skin a cat," I thought..  "Let's figure this out."   
      So, I came up with a solution; Will, my middle son, would leave his dresser.  We would purchase crates or something for him to store his clothes in.  He didn't like this idea but I assured him it would work. 
      My wife didn't like the idea but I told her "it HAD to work because I needed something in that room to remind me of the past."
      So, moving day came.  I was finally talked into letting Will take his drawers from the dresser but the dresser frame had to stay.  I was told I was crazy and, I might have been but still, the dresser had to stay.
       So, we put the dresser drawers on the moving truck and off we went.  We spent a Saturday moving the boys in.  In Will's room, he had his bed, his stereo and on the floor, he had nice, wooden drawers from his dresser.  They did look kind of sad and I thought "I'm not doing him right" but, I kept those thoughts to myself because, I needed something to hang onto!
      We spent most of the day moving them in.  Then, the time came to leave.  I put on my "big boy" smile, hugged the boys and Holli, Sarah & I drove off.  I didn't like it BUT, they aren't that far away. 
     That was Saturday.  Sunday came and I couldn't make myself go in his room.  Monday morning came and finally, I got enough courage to walk in his room. 
      There stood the dresser. 
      It looked lonely.  It had his ball caps on it and other things.  But the drawers were gone.   It looked kind of pitiful.  The drawers were gone but the shell was there.
       I started to cry but then I laughed.  The dresser was useless.  I should have taken a picture of it but it didn't cross my mind to do it. 
      There stood a shell... literally.. a shell.  The shell's purpose is to HOLD the drawers.  The drawers were gone.
      And then it hit me; "I'm hanging on to a shell." 
      What are you hanging on to?
      Some of us can go through life and hang on to a period in our lives that we perceive as our "glory days."  Churches are especially fond of doing this.
     Some go through life and hold on to hurts done to them. 
      What about you? 
      You may be like me; holding on to a shell.  If so, let it go. 
      That Monday, as I stood in his room, I had prayer.  I thanked the Lord for all the fun times we had.  All the ball games we had.  But, those years were over.  Time to move on.  I knew that the same God who gave us some good times in the past would give us more good times in the future. 
      With the Lord's help, put the past behind and with the Lord's help, look  forward to a bright future.
      Paul said "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead" (Phillippians 3:13). 
      Don't hang on to a shell.  Press on!