Present

Are we to look forward or backward? Looking back might be a way to honor the past, but it also presents the opportunity to run back to a past that should be left behind. Looking forward gives us hope for the future.

Are the old days better than the present? We've all heard an older relative, or even caught ourselves, reminiscing about the old days. The curious thing about human memory is that when we remember the old days, we often forget the complaints and annoyances that came with the past. We remember our childhood, the price of a candy bar, or how much better the world used to be. But if we sit back and think about the past, was it really better? That is what I want to explore in this devotional.

Let's explore how we might think everything was so easy "when I was a kid." I could easily come to that conclusion in my thoughts, and I've probably even said it once or twice to my kids. I didn't have bills, responsibilities, a demanding job, and the list goes on. I'm completely ignoring the fact that I had school and homework, a room to clean, a bedtime, and had to ask my parents for everything I wanted. Back then, those felt like real burdens!

I was having a conversation with my youngest son the other day. At the time of this writing, he is 11. Our granddaughter is here at the house visiting, she is a year and a half. My son said he wished he could go back to that age. What he doesn't remember is how he couldn't reach things on the counter, couldn't talk well enough to let us know what he wanted, or how he whined, and we had no idea why. As adults, we think about how our lives were so easy when we were kids, and as kids, we saw our lives as so easy when we were babies. We see our past through a lens of nostalgic blissful memories.

From a biblical perspective, we are warned not to look back in Luke 9:62, or ponder why the old days were better in Ecclesiastes 7:10. Why is this important? Because we will miss the opportunity to be thankful for what we have currently. Additionally, it hinders us from dreaming and hoping for our future because we are stuck in our blurry past memories. Tom Clancy once said, "The good old days are now." We are currently living what will one day be the good old days. Ten years from now, you will remember something happening currently as the good old days. We should make every effort to see now as the good days. Psalm 118:24 says, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Let's not lose sight of the gift of today. We can honor and remember the past while choosing not to be bound by it. God's mercies are new every morning, and each day is an opportunity to be grateful, to grow, and to move forward in hope. Let's live fully in the present, embracing each moment as a blessing from the Lord. Someday, this moment will be the "good old days," so let's rejoice and be glad today!

Prayer:

Heavenly Father we give You all the glory and praise today and every day. We are thankful for our past, present, and future. We look forward to new days while we appreciate our current situation. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen!