Is It Dangerous for Christians to Long for "The Good Old Days?"
What makes us more aware of our mortality than growing old?
Remember when you were a kid? Birthdays were welcomed days.
Whether it was excitement over a party attended by your best friends, growing another year closer to the coveted driver’s license, or simply the desire to be viewed as an adult … birthdays were a highlight to the year.
As we grow older, those birthdays come a little quicker each year. I am experiencing this currently, as January marks my 42nd birthday. It seems like every year passes faster and faster.
When we look mortality in the face, those of us who are in Christ Jesus are reminded that this life is as “a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14).
We may be aging and weakening every day, but we are a little closer to our forever home in Heaven.
The Apostle Paul writes, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).
The ones who do not know Christ are to be pitied. For those who die without relationship with God, this truly is their best life.
However, we, as Christians, have the promise of a new, eternal, resurrected body (1 Corinthians 15:53) and of a new heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1). Isn’t it amazing to contemplate this reality?
We will have no more aches, worries, memory lapses, ailments, etc. Rather, we will be made new and complete in the presence of Jesus. If that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will.
Another truth to keep in mind is that our past is simply … the past. It is good to remember the olden days, but we should not long for them or let them defeat us again (if they were bad times).
King Solomon, the second wisest man to ever live, following Jesus, states, “Say not, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For it is not from wisdom that you ask this” (Ecclesiastes 7:10).
When we live life stuck in the past, we are not impactful in the present (1 Corinthians 13:11).
Certainly, we celebrate events from the past, such as Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection; we learn from past mistakes; and we remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness throughout our lives.
However, we are present in the moment, allowing God to work through us in the here-and-now.
Let’s decide today to embrace our aging process, with all its twists and turns.
Realize that we grow wiser with age (if we are doing life right), we have continued opportunities to impact the Kingdom of God, and that we are another day closer to our eternal home.
Stay encouraged! Christ has a place prepared for His children (John 14:3).
This article appeared originally on Liftable.
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