Looking Forward

Past: Our cradle, not our prison, and there is danger as well as appeal in its glamour. The past is for inspiration, not imitation; for continuation, not repetition.
Israel Zangwill (1864-1926, British writer)

Ezra 3:12-13
Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' households, the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away. NASU

Memories are great! I have childhood memories that I cherish, and some that I wouldn’t repeat, but memories seem to grow fonder over time. However, I couldn’t imagine anyone exchanging a washing machine for a washboard, of a car for a horse, there are some things that we like about today that didn’t exist in yesteryears.

After the return of the Israelites from Babylon, they were impressed with the need to rebuild the temple. Those that had no memories of the old temple worked hard to lay the foundation of the “new” Holy Place. They younger looked forward to a brighter future and a restored relationship with God. But on that day of dedication the older looked at the present in view of the past and wept, while the younger rejoiced.

We must embrace the future, but so many times leaving the comfortable, knowledgeable surroundings of the past is hard. We must live for today, with hope for tomorrow, and we must reconcile the past. We found joy in the past at one time, and it was fun, but that is over. New joys and discoveries await us, let us always be able to rejoice over the past, and Glory in the future prepared for us to walk in…God Bless.
Pastor William