4:10 – Back in My Day!

#faithbites #faithjourney back

Setting

Back in my day we had to walk to school barefoot in the snow uphill, both ways. When I was your age, kids respected their parents and everyone went to church. Back in the good ole days, everyone loved their country and fought to keep enemies out. What was your back in the day like?

I was thinking about getting older and reflecting on the important world event days in my life. The Challenge Explosion, tearing down of the Berlin Wall, 9/11, 1/6/2021 and there are probably a few others in there. I also think about songs I used to listen to over even songs that talk about the good ole days such as Good Old Days By Macklemore and Kesha. I also think about Billy Joal in Keeping the Faith, when he says the good old days weren’t always so good.

Was it better back in the day or do we only think it was because our viewpoints were different? I also ask, who was it good for back then. It really depends who you are, where you lived, your social status, religion, class, and everything. That is what made it good or bad.

While many of us have found memories of our past, was it always that good? Was it good for everyone? If you can’t answer yes, what does that mean about today or tomorrow? How can we move forward and try to make tomorrow better for all of God’s people?

Scripture

Ecclesiastes 7:10-20 – 10 Don’t long for “the good old days.” This is not wise. 11 Wisdom is even better when you have money. Both are a benefit as you go through life. 12 Wisdom and money can get you almost anything, but only wisdom can save your life. 13 Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what he has made crooked? 14 Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life. 15 I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people. 16 So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? 17 On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time? 18 Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes. 19 One wise person is stronger than ten leading citizens of a town! 20 Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.

Reflection

Sometimes with #faithbites, I have one idea and God leads me somewhere else. Like with this scripture passage. It was as if it was written today. If you haven’t read it, please read it again. It speaks of money, longing for what was, wisdom, and the fact, verse 20, that not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.

Our glory days, had terrible parts. Our current days have both bad and good. It is up to us to make sure we are in communication with God so we can understand all aspects of the good and the bad. If we long only for the good of the past, we are missing the bad of the past as well. As we see in verse 13, we need to accept they way God haws done things. He can fixed the crooked. We need to be aware of what he truly is saying and now what we think he is saying. Be mindful of longing too much lest you lose what you have today.

As we close, let’s remember that the old days weren’t always good for everyone. Today isn’t always bad for everyone. As Christians, we need to love our neighbors, and that means all.

Now, get off my lawn 🙂 (Just kidding).

Challenge

What did “back in the day” look like for you? Was it truly Glory or, if you peer past the service, was there people that it wasn’t good for/ Were there parts that weren’t good for you too? Remember, while the past may be great, we live in today and look for tomorrow. Challenge yourself to try to make today a glory day for everyone.

Prayer

Father God, you gave us a beautiful mind to remember our past. Help us to not live in the past but fight for the future. At the same time, help us to realize that the past may not have been as rosy as we once thought it was. Lord, I pray that you help us move beyond us and what was/is good for us as individuals. Turn us into a people that will not be selfish and will look out for others first. Lord, you want us to live in harmony. The only way that is done is by loving you and loving our neighbors. We pray for your love, peace, and guidance. Amen.