Submitted by Kerry Patton
"Don't
always be asking, "Where are the good old days?" Wise folks don't ask
questions like that.”
Ecclesiastes 7:10-20 (The Message) 7
Cruising
Dreams
I was
driving to drop my kids off at their day care one morning and as I turned right
off Main Street, there it was: brilliantly restored, 1973 Ford Maverick. It was beautiful; dressed in mag style wheels
and a flawless silver paint job that looked like it had been applied yesterday
by a paint shop master. I nodded to the
driver as I passed him and I could tell that the car was his pride and
joy. It was obviously the product of
great investment and many hours of hard work.
Now maybe the Ford Maverick isn’t your idea of the ultimate cruising
car to drive, but I have a strong connection to it. You see, my very first car was a 1973 Ford
Maverick Grabber. Mine was painted in
hand rubbed black lacquer with gold pin stripes and accents. Black bucket seats, a hood scoop, a killer
Pioneer sound system, and a throaty 302 V8 under the hood that scratched in two
gears when I pushed it... I loved my
first car. No it wasn’t a Trans Am, a
Corvette, or a Camaro, but to me, my car was the coolest car. My father and I had worked on it together,
repairing rust spots and repainting it.
It was MY car, and I loved it.
As I
watched the silver Maverick disappear from view I caught my heart reaching
back: “Oh man…how cool would it be to have my old car back!” But it really isn’t about the car is it? What I was saying is: I remember those as
wonderful innocent days, and I like the way I feel as I remember them.
Being
17 years of age, pushing my car for all it was worth through the quarter mile,
or just cruising the Sonic on a Friday night.
The memory of those days is very nice.
But I would not go back.
I
wouldn’t go back because while time and recollection make those days seem very
nice, those weren’t the good old days.
They were just ‘days’…Just like these are…well, days. So what is the
difference? Why does yester-year look so
good in retrospect, and how can I brighten up today…particularly if I am having
a difficult time?
The Better Reality
The truth is, when I was 17, my
world was far from perfect. Like many
father/son relationships, I was frequently in conflict with my father. We had just moved to a new town, I was
struggling to keep on task in school, trying to keep graduation on schedule,
and hoped to fit in with my peers. Unsatisfied with the trappings of my
parent’s home, I was eager to spread my wings and fly on my own.
Time has a way of making the lenses
of what we see behind us as “rose colored,” softened, and more preferable. Looking backward to yester-year can seem like
things were much better then. Maybe they
were. But chances are, they were just
normal. Regular. They were ‘days’. I’d wager a pound of cookies that the
old-timers back then were moaning about how they missed their “good old
days.” Right?
Thirty-one years have passed since
I was 17. I’ve been through some easy
days, and some days that I thought I would not survive. Perhaps you have a similar experience. Do you have a recollection of “the good old
days?” Maybe you are going through some really rough times right now and you
find yourself longing for the way things used to be.
Whatever your circumstance, I want
to encourage you to cast your vision forward and trust in the Lord to carry you
through. I want you to remember to rely
on Him for whatever your need is. These
tasks can be difficult, because contentment doesn’t come easy, and when we
really want change…we REALLY want change!
Can I be content in times of
trouble and suffering? Can I be
optimistic and affect others positively, even when the seas are storming around
me? Can I fully realize that THIS is the
day the Lord has made…so I will rejoice and be glad in it…? (See Psalm
118:24)
Honestly, it seems like so much of
success is simply controlling our state of mind! Here’s what the Apostle Paul said to the
church at Philippi:
Finally,
brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever
is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any
excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things
you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things,
and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9
Not
that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever
circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know
how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the
secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering
need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13
Jeremiah
29:11 states: "For I know
the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you
and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
These are the good days. So are the ones to follow…and the ones
after. Pursue contentment.
Prayer
Almighty God, how often we look backward
and long for what is behind or lost. How
easy it is to quit trying and decide that the good days are over. Set my mind right, O God. Help me to remember that you are with me
today, just as you were yesterday. Remind
me that you still provide all I need, and that you have made me glad. This is the day. I will rejoice. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
