<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not say, \u2018Why were the former days better than these?\u2019 For you do not inquire wisely concerning this\u201d (Ecclesiastes 7:10).<\/p>\n
IT\u2019S HARD TO REACH FORWARD AND BACKWARD AT THE SAME TIME. Yet I fear that\u2019s the very thing we often try to do. We say we\u2019re reaching forward, but the pull of nostalgia can tug at our hearts so strongly that we catch ourselves trying to make the world like it used<\/em> to be rather than the way it ought<\/em> to be, as if \u201cused to be\u201d and \u201cought to be\u201d were exactly synonymous. The net effect of our exertions in life is often more backward than forward.<\/p>\n Nostalgia is a wonderful thing, and not many folks love it any more than I do. But nostalgia must be handled with care. If we don\u2019t watch out, it can hinder us in our journey toward God. So here are a few tips on enjoying the past in a helpful, healthful way.<\/p>\n (1) Whatever good may have been done previously, today is the only day any new activity can be done.<\/em> We can enjoy the past, and we can certainly learn from it. But yesterday\u2019s work is already done, and that work won\u2019t suffice for today. Thinking about the past (or anything else, for that matter) can\u2019t be a substitute for action . . . today.<\/p>\n (2) We must learn to be grateful for the past without worshiping it.<\/em> Having the right attitude toward past, present, and future is a matter of balance. If there are good things about the days gone by, we must love those things neither too little nor too much. Maintaining that balance requires making frequent adjustments.<\/p>\n (3) Even if the past was better than the present in some ways, it is fruitless to wonder why.<\/em> None of us \u2014 not even the philosophers \u2014 have enough information to answer the question, \u201cWhy is the world changing as it is?\u201d The farmer must stick to seed-sowing and not worry too much why the weather changes as it does.<\/p>\n When we get to wondering \u201cWhy were the former days better than these?\u201d we need to understand that the past wasn\u2019t really as wonderful as we remember it. After all, our memories are quite selective, remembering a few pleasant things and forgetting others that weren\u2019t so pleasant. So while the good old days may do our hearts good to ponder, they don\u2019t serve very well as a goal for the future.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough the centuries the people have dreamed of a Golden Age and longed for its return, unconscious that they dream of a day that has never been\u201d (Guy E. Shipler).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n