Shedding Layers (Part I)

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“Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head…” (John 20:6-7)

It No Longer Belongs

With the arrival of a new year, perhaps you are not stepping into something new and exciting. Perhaps this season is not about adding, building, or becoming more—but about letting go and stripping away what no longer belongs.

Not every new beginning looks like fresh growth. Some begin with release.

The Gospel tells us that when Peter entered the empty tomb, he noticed what had been left behind: the strips of linen, folded and lying on the ground. Once instruments of death, now silent witnesses to life.

I have been pondering the strips of linen left lying in the tomb.
Wrapped around Jesus’ body, they represented death.
Left behind on the floor, they became a quiet witness to life.

Nature’s Way of Letting Go

Shedding is not foreign to the natural world. Animals shed or molt skin, feathers, or shells as a necessary part of living. It is nature’s way of releasing what is no longer needed. Some shed to allow for growth—because without release, growth becomes impossible.

Birds molt their feathers to make room for new ones. Broken feathers do not repair themselves. And nature knows that what is damaged cannot take flight.

Whatever initiates the shedding—change in season, accumulated damage, or the simple need to grow—nature seems intentional about ensuring that nothing lives burdened by layers that no longer serve it.

We are invited into that same practice.

Over time, we accumulate layers—some for protection, some in response to pain, some we didn’t even realize we were carrying. Left unexamined, they begin to weigh us down.

Unburdened

Identifying these layers can be difficult and painful. Over time, some have woven themselves so tightly into us that we begin to mistake them for who we are. We may not recognize them as “old skin” or “broken feathers.” They are familiar, even comfortable.

This is where humility becomes essential.

When we approach the Lord with a willing heart and ask for revelation, awareness begins to unfold. A deeper seeing emerges—and grace and truth flow.

Lord, show me where I have accumulated layers that no longer give life.
Layers of self-protection.
Callousness.
Unforgiveness.
Resentment.
Self-righteousness.
Pride.

Show me where I have responded to hurt, disappointment, betrayal, or loss by adding layer upon layer—until I forgot what it felt like to be free.

It is difficult to grow if I cling to the old linens. Stripping them away is essential for spiritual growth and renewal.

Jesus did not take the linens with Him. He left them behind.

The story does not end with what is left behind—but with what is Unwrapped (click here to read).