“Remember those early days after you first saw the light? Those were the hard times! Kicked around in public, targets of every kind of abuse—some days it was you, other days your friends.” (Hebrews 10:32-33, MSG)
Several years ago, I had a conversation with an elderly member of my congregation. I asked, “Do you miss the good, old days? I’m talking days without the hustle and hurry of life. Days when neighbors knew and cared about one another. Days when life was simpler.” The congregant replied, “I do miss those days. Those days were simpler. But that doesn’t mean they were always easier or better. I also recall times when we had no indoor plumbing and I had to do my business in an outhouse. I remember when my brother contracted polio and became crippled for life. I remember how my mother would go without food some nights so that we kids could have enough to eat.”
The writer of the letter to the Hebrews conveyed a similar message. “Remember those early days… 3 Kicked around in public, targets of every kind of abuse—some days it was you, other days your friends.” (Hebrews 10:32-33)
The argument is straightforward. Don’t be fooled by nostalgia. There’s a danger when you compare present difficulties with previous memories, particularly when you recall only the good things. It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that life is getting worse; and, if you project this negative trend forward, the future appears to look even worse than the present.
Don’t look at the past through rose-colored glasses. Doing so can undermine your faith in what God is doing through and around you now. Essentially the Hebrew writer says, “God’s plan has gotten you through some pretty tough circumstances thus far. So, stick with God’s plan and He’ll see you through.”
Now, please don’t hear what I’m not saying. My intent is not to minimize the troubles our world faces today. Rather, my purpose is to magnify the power of God to redeem the world from its troubles.
The same hope holds true for you. No matter how great your present struggles may be, God’s grace is greater still.
Several years ago, I had a conversation with an elderly member of my congregation. I asked, “Do you miss the good, old days? I’m talking days without the hustle and hurry of life. Days when neighbors knew and cared about one another. Days when life was simpler.” The congregant replied, “I do miss those days. Those days were simpler. But that doesn’t mean they were always easier or better. I also recall times when we had no indoor plumbing and I had to do my business in an outhouse. I remember when my brother contracted polio and became crippled for life. I remember how my mother would go without food some nights so that we kids could have enough to eat.”
The writer of the letter to the Hebrews conveyed a similar message. “Remember those early days… 3 Kicked around in public, targets of every kind of abuse—some days it was you, other days your friends.” (Hebrews 10:32-33)
The argument is straightforward. Don’t be fooled by nostalgia. There’s a danger when you compare present difficulties with previous memories, particularly when you recall only the good things. It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that life is getting worse; and, if you project this negative trend forward, the future appears to look even worse than the present.
Don’t look at the past through rose-colored glasses. Doing so can undermine your faith in what God is doing through and around you now. Essentially the Hebrew writer says, “God’s plan has gotten you through some pretty tough circumstances thus far. So, stick with God’s plan and He’ll see you through.”
Now, please don’t hear what I’m not saying. My intent is not to minimize the troubles our world faces today. Rather, my purpose is to magnify the power of God to redeem the world from its troubles.
The same hope holds true for you. No matter how great your present struggles may be, God’s grace is greater still.