Don’t long for “the good old days.” This is not wise.
Ecclesiastes 7:10 (NLT)
Recently, I was looking through my mother’s photo album and came across these words my grandfather wrote beside the wedding photo of my mum and dad: “The worldling looks nostalgically on past experiences which can never be recaptured, seeking their repetition, but in Christian joy there is gratitude and worship, and something of eternity. In photographic records the Christian savours afresh something of this eternal joy. And an old portrait is not a sad reminder of passing time, but a record of a stage in the development of a soul that shall live forever.”
Such wonderful words and perspective. I have much to learn from my grandfather’s wisdom! What he grasped was the truth that looking forward is better than looking back. There isn’t anything wrong with reminiscing; on the contrary, it can be beneficial to review how far we’ve come and thank the Lord for His faithfulness throughout the years. But photos and memories tend to be selective – we are prone to remember the good times to the exclusion of the difficulties or, to another extent, we focus on the bad times to the exclusion of the blessings God has poured into our lives.
How then do we strike a balance? One of the main themes that runs throughout the book of Ecclesiastes is the value of enjoying life. When we lose perspective, wishing we could go back in time or blame the past for our present-day troubles, we thwart our forward progress.
This world is not our home. We are merely traveling through on our way to our eternal abode in heaven. Each day is one step closer to eternal life in God’s presence. Let’s keep our eyes on the finish line – eternity is just a breath away.
Thought: “Beware of harking back to what you once were when God wants you to be something you have never been.” – Oswald Chambers
For further reading:
- Philippians 3:13-14
- Hebrews 12:1
- Isaiah 43:18-19
- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Excerpt from A Year in God’s Classroom