Longing for the Good Old Days?

The Israelites heard God’s promises of rescue from Moses and said “Amen.” But when they saw Pharaoh, lacked water or meat, etc., they longingly remembered the “good old days.” What would I have done?

When do I remember the “good old days”? Sometimes it is when I come in contact with friends I have not seen in a while, like at a college reunion I just attended. But mostly it is when things are not going the way I want now!

When reading through the account of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, I had to stop and think about Hebrews 12:1-2: “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”

The Israelites carried a lot of baggage. And, I find, so do I.

As I mentioned in a previous post “How Is Technology Affecting Families?” we are all endowed with the same amount of time each day—24 hours. Proper preparation for the race requires careful consideration of the use of those 24 hours. A runner must consider every element of the race, including anything that will slow him or her down. Today, entire product lines are created to reduce friction—in swimwear, racing gear, golf balls, etc.

Can I learn anything from the past?

Is looking back productive? It depends. Let’s look at a few examples.

• In a previous blog about complaining I mentioned the times when Israel looked back fondly on their time of slavery in Egypt. Was this realistic thinking or essentially delusional?
• Luke 17:32 tells us to “remember Lot’s wife.” In Genesis 19:17 God had warned Lot’s family to escape for their lives and not to look back. The form of the Hebrew verb translated “look” here means “look at, gaze at, consider” (Dictionary of Biblical Languages, emphasis added). God didn’t want them to look with pleasure, favor, care or respect on evil Sodom. Genesis 19:26 shows what Lot’s wife did: “But Lot’s wife looked back longingly and was turned into a pillar of salt” (New English Translation).
• In your present marriage, job, school or church, do you find yourself looking back and longing for times in the past? Perhaps you are nostalgic for a place you previously lived or a time in your childhood.
• Today companies conduct formal reviews of accidents in order to learn from and reduce future accidents.

Principles

Egypt and Sodom represent the sin that Israel, Lot’s family and we are to come out of.

We are to leave our old “man” submerged under the water we were baptized in and come up out of that water a new man. The old man is to be left behind in that watery grave (Romans 6:4-6; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:22-23; Colossians 3:9).

Matthew 14:22-34 relates the account of Christ walking on water. Peter stepped out on faith and began walking toward Jesus on the water. But then he took his eyes off Christ, looked around and thought about his past experience with water—about what he could and could not do. He could not walk on water! He sank!

Is that not what the children of Israel did? They reasoned—we can’t escape Pharaoh’s army—the mountains are on this side and the Red Sea on the other. They left God out of the picture every time they found themselves between a rock and a hard place.

It is so easy in this present world to identify things in our lives (clothing, cars, homes, jobs, friends, money, promotions) that are not fair. Then it’s easy to place blame. Others have an unfair advantage; they “know” someone, have the inside scoop or are related to someone who carries weight.

Is this a pity party?

Do I want to escape the present?

Or am I looking back with thanks for the blessings God has given me?

Am I learning a lesson by looking back so that I can ensure future good results? (See a related post I found fascinating: “Like a Tree” by Mary Hendren.)

The plan

In all these examples people looked back for one reason or another.

While it can be a bad habit to get into, looking back is not always wrong. We must at times consider our past motives in order to not repeat bad history.

In the future I plan to:

• Look forward.
• Keep God in the picture.
• Be far-sighted.
• Eliminate the weights or baggage that impedes progress.
• Say good-bye to the pity parties.
• Take responsibility.
• Learn the pertinent lessons.
• Step out on faith and see how the impossible can be possible with God’s help.

Let’s look forward to the fantastic future God has laid out for us in His plan.

Check out Judy Swanson’s blog “The Power of Hezekiah’s Prayer,” which recounts the story of a king who did look to God and reaped the blessings.

Susan Scott Smith is a third-grade teacher and a member of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, in Texas.