The Church Mouse: Not So Super Past
“Remember, not the former things, nor consider the things of old.” – Isaiah 43:18
Over this past summer I have had a few opportunities to visit with my family. Some of those occasions were happy ones and some were sad. But each time there was lots talking about the past. There was also a lot of laughter over some of the silly things we had done in our younger days.
‘We recalled when my cousin thought he was superman and could fly. He put on an oilcloth tablecloth as a cape and jumped out of the hayloft at our uncle’s barn.
He quickly learned that he was not able to fly, nor was he superman! As he lay in the hay gasping for breath, we thought he was dying and so did he.
However he had only got the breath knock out of him or so we thought at the time. When he finally was able to sit up, still gasping for air, we began to laughing at him.
A few weeks later when he went to get a physical for football, the doctor found he had two cracked ribs. His parents wondered how in the world he had injured himself.
Finally, one of us told them what happened! We were all banned from the barn on Sunday visits after that!’
Each of us remember things from our own point of view. I know that my brother remembers things that happened in our childhood differently from what I remember. Sometimes what he remembers and what I remember are so different that I wonder if we are related or are talking about the same event.
Now, don’t get me wrong the past is important. It shapes our lives and helps us to (hopefully) not repeat the same mistakes. But God wants us to focus on the future. We are to look forward and press on to our glorious reward.
Think about this for a few minutes.
We as Christians need to be always looking forward. It is okay to glance back and to reminisce about the past; after all it is an important part of your life, the past shapes who we are now and who we will become in the future.
But, in Philippians 3:14 Paul tells us “to press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ.”
It’s okay to keep talking about the past but, remember to live for today and for your future reward of eternity in heaven.
Prayer:
“Heavenly Father. We are thankful for the lessons of the past. We are thankful that you bless us with memories of the wonderful blessings from our past. Father, help us to remember that we need to keep looking forward in our life journey to you. Amen.”
the Church Mouse
Work Hard. Pray harder!