4 February | Youth

Clinging to the Past

«Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.» Ecclesiastes 7:10

Missing something is different from nostalgia. Therefore, we must learn both to remember and to forget. Just as there are experiences that inspire, there are also those that block. Think of the Israelites during the Babylonian captivity. They lamented that they could not sing songs of praise to God “in a foreign land” (Ps 137:4-5). However, what stopped them was not an endeared memory, but nostalgia. They wanted to relive the past instead of using it as fuel to drive the present. They used the joys of yesterday as an excuse not to live today creatively and intensely.

When God brought the Hebrew people out of Egypt, after more than four hundred years of servitude, some said that staying there as slaves was better than advancing through the desert towards the Promised Land. They were nostalgic. Joshua and Caleb, however, exclaimed before Canaan: “Let us go up at once and take possession” (Num 13:30). These two longed to be free to worship the Lord and rebuild the nation. The other ten faltered. They did not see the future, just the past. Past and future are not incompatible in the minds of those who have fond memories. However, for those who are nostalgic, they are like a bogeyman. Therefore, sometimes, in the church, some conflicts arise that are frankly unnecessary.

This happened with an elder who, for more than a decade, was the absolute leader of a church. One day, someone brought up the idea of changing the pulpit, since the one they had was very old and ugly, a relic. The elder disagreed. He tried his best to dissuade the others.

Few supported him. Finally, feeling offended and upset, he said: “This pulpit will not leave this place. Either it stays, or I leave!” Do you know what happened? For the church, that was the last straw! The majority understood that it was time to renew leadership. The pulpit was gone, and the old man left. Case closed.

It is not a sin to miss something. It is not wrong to fight to preserve the good things we experienced yesterday and value today. The problem is when longing becomes an inability to move forward, towards God's dreams for our lives. Therefore, let Him guide you, whether into the past or the future. The Lord's company is the only thing that really matters.