Thanks For The Memories

                                                            


I have noticed that there are a lot of social web site pages that deal with memories. If You Grew Up In....., Growing Up In.....; If You Lived In.....  There are countless groups that you can join to reminisce and share similar memories and experiences.  Scrapbooks are so popular, too.  We enjoy looking back at events frozen in time.  People love to reminisce about the 'good ole' days'. 

Why is that?  Why do people enjoy thinking about the past?  There are many reasons, one being we long for the times when life seemed more simple and carefree.  Although we may like having all of the modern conveniences and technology...there is something about the simplicity of the past, that we miss. And it's not just people my age...there are older individuals that long for the time when they were a child, or in their teens and 20's...and those that are a decade younger than I am, who yearn for the same thing.

Why?  That was the time in our lives before mortages, meetings and money markets.  Before children, change and charge cards.  Our responsibilites were small...our dreams were enormous.  The good old days...

The Bible even speaks of remembering.  Ecclesiastes 12:1  "Remember your Creator when you are young, before the days of trouble come and the years catch up with you. They will make you say, 'I have found no pleasure in them.' " God's Word Translation

Why did Solomon (the proposed author of Ecclesiastes) write this?  Why would he say this to a young person?  My guess is that in his wisdom, he knew that young people didn't always think of the future.  They knew that today was fun and carefree, but tomorrow would show them different.  When they were older, they would see 'days of trouble'.  Then what?  If they had been remembering their Creator, they would have Someone to lean on.  They would remember how He was wth them and also their ancestors when bad situations came up.  They would know that they were not alone.

While it is fun looking back...a person could get lost looking only in the rear view mirror.  We have to keep our eyes looking forward.  It is beneficial to look back from time to time, and see where we have been.  We can use our past experiences and decisions as stepping stones to our future decisions.  But we look ahead and press onward as we wait for the day when He not only is with us...but we will see Him face to face.