Shrode at
The Thinklings asks the question
”Whatever Happened To The Good Ole Days?”. He quotes Solomon:
“Do not say, ‘Why were the old days better than these?’ For it is not wise to ask such questions” (Ecclesiastes 7:10).
He also says this about the Hebrews’ post-Egypt conduct:
“They had somehow forgotten that they had been slaves in Egypt, forced to make their own bricks to build with. They had forgotten that while being whipped by Egyptian taskmasters, their infant sons were being thrown into the river. The worst part of their longing for the past is that it showed a lack of trust in God to take care of them in the present. God wants us to be content with our present.”
Shrode’s words cut me and cause me to think about how much of the last several years I have wasted looking at my past with rose colored glasses. It causes me to think about Paul’s passion for today when he said:
”But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:13-14)
However great, or not-so-great, our past was it needs to be forgotten as we press on to Christ's goal for us.
How can you forget the past?
ReplyDeleteMustn't you know where you have been to orient you to where you are going?
Just as the Bible is our past story which orients us in our continuation of the story...so is your past an orientation of which you are to continue your story.
Don't dwell on the past, don't try to live in the past (as most evangelical theology would have one do), but remember the past, learn from it, and find your place in the biblical story and your own and continue that story.
Great thoughts Chris. Reminded me of something I heard in a grief recovery class a long time ago. The leader told us that the goal of the class and the goal of grieving were to be able to look back and celebrate our memories ... not to forget but to remember and not experience the pain.
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