Stuck In The Circle of Life
From general dietary menu items to what side of the bed you sleep on, people don’t like change. We are creatures of habit. When I think about myself and other people that I’ve known and know, we often spend too much time looking back and too much effort trying to make the present be like the past. Examples of this are thinking things like:
- I wish I had good friends like I did in high school/college
- My church just isn’t like it was back in the day
- I want it to be like was when we first fell in love
Well, guess what? Life moves on and so should we. As life progresses, we need to embrace the new challenges, relationships and responsibilities that come our way. This is the only way that we can really be satisfied in the Lord. Only by acknowledging that He knows right where we are and that He is moving us along this road of life can we find contentment in all things.
Sure, remember the past with great fondness and learn from your mistakes, but don’t miss out on the potential of the present by trying to make things like they were before. Once we let go of the expectations of how our lives should be then we finally set the present free to reach its fullest potential — giving us new friends, new levels of relationships, new experiences, new blessings, and new lessons learned (though often painful) to be thankful for.
Isn’t it just like God that this is how He provides the very things we were looking for by trying to hold on to the past?
February 24th, 2006 at 2:28 pm
Or is it just like us to seek freshness and fullness of life in the things that have already come and gone?
February 25th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
Thank you for this. My sister has been going through some emotional trauma and I’ve been trying to comfort her. This post really helped get a few points across to her and provided an interesting dialog between the two of us.
Thanks D.
February 27th, 2006 at 9:25 am
Your three bullet points are interesting because:
I had friends that I would not consider good in high school
I am most happy with the church I am part of now then ever before
Going back to my dating days with my wife, given our present state, would be lackluster
February 27th, 2006 at 9:54 am
Well, if you ever find yourself looking back on these days as “the good ole days” then you know what to do. :^)
February 27th, 2006 at 12:50 pm
Good point. There was a time a few years ago, when all in the world seemed right and I can to the realization, “I have no desire for Heaven”. Shortly after that, some major things came undone. Now, when my circumstances stink, I try to force myself to look ahead to Heaven, and not look back.
On lighter note, I will say 97.1 the River has made me realize how the record industry was much better in promoting creativity and developing artists in the 70’s and early 80’s. That’s about as sentimental as I get. Ah, the good ole days of music!