The Good Old Days

Philippians 3:13-14–I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; But this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ.(NASB)

Folks like to talk about the good old days; those days when life was tougher than Mom’s free-range chicken. The stories are generally embellished, like the commercial which tells of walking nine miles to school, up hill, and through a blizzard in father’s pajamas! Life without electricity, neighbours and outdoor facilities sounds like fun now, doesn‘t it? 

One of my good old stories happened the first week of high school. I had come from a one-room schoolhouse to a school with multiple classrooms. I survived by staying with the crowd and following the pack. My friend Barbara carried a bottle of fountain pen ink with her. As we left class one day, she called out “Brenda, help. I’ve spilled my ink!”   Panicked, I cried, “Leave it. We’ll get lost!”

I don’t remember my choice. I hope I stayed to help. Barbara’s gone now. I’ll never know. “Our good old days,” the ones before we knew Jesus, were never great. Even now, knowing that He is with us constantly, we often make bad choices. It’s too late for the Barbaras in our lives, but we can change today. As Maya Angelou says, when you knew better, you did better. Paul’s wise advice still holds.  Remember the goal. Jesus. Stop dwelling on failures. Move on.

Prayer: God, help us accept Your gracious forgiveness for our good old days. Help us make restitution where we can so that we can move on, faces and hearts resolutely forward, doing Your best in our present situation.  Amen.