The Gift of the Past
Older age brings many gifts. One of them is the gift of a past. But there’s a catch with this gift. You must be selective about when and where you share this gift. For some reason, the younger generation isn’t that interested in our special gift of having a long past. Yep. It’s sad, isn’t it? A big part of my conversation could begin with, “I remember…” but I reframe, so my young people will want to hang around me. It’s not that they don’t like to know about my past, they do, it’s just that they don’t want to hear about it daily. And I get it, I didn’t either when I was their age. I wanted to live in the moment, the present. I didn’t want to dwell on things that happened in the past.
But I also know my young people will figure it out, just like I did, and come to understand that their past is hugely important to their present and a major difference-maker in their futures. In fact, paying close attention to it (the past) is the key to a better future. A key is something that unlocks another thing. So, our past unlocks our future. If we don’t value this “key”, no lesson is ever learned, no life choice is improved, no hope is felt when facing a tough situation.
Here’s another interesting observation about our past. Paying close attention to your past means you are paying close attention to your present because it’s your present that, a second later, becomes your past. Smart decisions, kind responses, thoughtful actions done in the present will change your past from a past of regret to a past of sweet memories. Everything you do today will either make you smile or hang your head tomorrow. Think about how often you have spent “the day after” either regretting or loving words said, or actions done the day before.
God is a God of the past, present, and future. He sees it all at the same time. It’s a superpower we don’t have, at least not in the same way. But God has taught us, by example and scripture that there is always a connection from the beginning to the end, from the past to the future. Solomon warned in Ecclesiastes 1:9 “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” (ESV). Solomon is telling us to pay attention to the past because history repeats itself. This makes the Bible a valuable resource for guidance and wisdom as we choose our present very carefully so our past, if repeated, is worth repeating. I hope this makes sense to you.
For our grandkids, it’s important that we share our past (when the time is right) but it’s more important that we share God’s words, so they have every tool they need to live each day without regret but with a joy and hope for a great future. That’s true for us as well.
Have a great week. Hugs, Chrys
