By Emilie Gruben.
“I really wish that I could go back to when I was... Life was so much easier with less school, more free time, more laid out Bible plans…”
“I can’t wait until I turn… I can finally do this and that, and I’ll be able to go to…”
Have you ever heard or said something of this nature? I certainly have. We often say things like this, or think about it, without even realizing. Things were “better” back when your father had this certain job, or your mother made this certain meal, or you had a different group of friends, or you were able to exercise more; the list goes on and on.
We dwell on the past for selfish reasons, more often than not. It is a way of wishing for what we cannot have anymore. Truly appreciating the past and present to see how God has blessed you over the years is a good that can come from looking at the past. But we can definitely misuse the action, as many other things. But when we begin to think about the past more than the present, it becomes wrong. We wish for what we had instead of what we do have. We long for who we were and not who we are becoming. We aren’t grateful for what is yet to come, and what has passed, but become bitter because of what is gone. We become selfish.
Even when the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt, on their way to the Promised Land, they complained. They had suffered in slavery for years and were finally free. They were promised a land of Milk and Honey. They were given their food from the sky, the work of their Savior and Provider. They had everything they needed, and were promised more than they could imagine. But they were not grateful. They could not gather it in themselves to be happy. They wished for what they had, before. In slavery, hated, oppressed, and persecuted, they lived. But they wished to go back to what they had known, rather than follow the promises of God. The extent of their discontentment wished for death by God, than travel on with merely a promise of reward, even if it was God’s promise.
Ex. 16:1-3: “And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, ‘Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’”
The Israelites selfishness gave way into lies, making out all of their sufferings to be positive. It is so easy for our dwelling on the past to give way to sin. The same can go for thinking about the future. One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 31:25, which says “Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come.” Other translations say “She has no fear of the future.” A woman of God does not worry about what is to come, nor does she fantasize about what will occur.
When talking with my mother, once, a few years ago; I asked her if she ever thought about things before bed. She said that she did not, and asked me what I meant. I explained that I thought about what may happen, or what I needed to do the next day, or even something that I could have said, years before. She said that it was not a godly practice, at all, and heavily advised me to dwell upon scripture, only, at those times. Since then, I have seen the difference in which thinking of what is to come or has passed, can influence our attitudes, beliefs, or actions. To change, like sin, it first begins with a thought. Let us follow Phil.4:8, which says “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
We have gone through how dwelling on the past and the future can lead to sin, as well as take away from our time in the present. Our way to show attentiveness in the present, as well as gratefulness, is to be content despite the circumstances. A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about how Suffering is a Gift believe that that article could be referenced here, and read in addition to this, for a more detailed perspective about contentment in the present. But just a few verses on the subject are:
Heb. 13:5- “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”
Mat. 6:25-29- “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
We can be grateful for the past, and look to the future with no fear because God is the head of time, itself. He will endure forever. Time flies, and often thoughts fly from place to place, as well. But God will remain beside us. My two final points will somewhat mirror what I have said in another article, Managing a Busy Schedule. They are as follows.
Do you only think of the future and present, in terms of self? Are you only worried about that test next tuesday, or what you will wear for the wedding on saturday? Are you thinking about whether or not college is the best step, or if you should go ahead and accept that invitation to coffee? Or are you thinking about how you can honor God and others through where you are, right now? Are you attentive to the present to serve, as well as grow? And lastly, are you thinking about the coming of Christ? The glorious return of that who is Timeless.
I encourage you to think about all forms of time in a way that honors the Lord. Time flies-be sure to make it count.
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