Yearning for the Good Old Days Won't Help

August 8, 2007

It's 104 today here, and the weather radio said that today's temperature is a record high. Though we're in the South, we're in an area that is generally quite moderate, so we're not used to this. We want to return to our good old summertime.

I'm tempted to want to return to some “good old days” on more fronts than the weather. Life is going at mach speed. Traffic accidents seem worse than they used to. Everyone's on a cell phone while they're driving to someplace. In many ways, I'd like to roll back the calendar.

But I'm not the first person to have those thoughts. King Solomon, way back in 250 B.C. warned, “Don't long for the good old days. This is not wise... Remember that nothing is certain in this life.”

Nonetheless, we have a great need for a sense of normalcy, a reassurance that everything is under control. Jesus reassures us that He will be with us — that we won't face life alone. I like the song that says, “Sometimes He calms the storm, and other times, He calms the child.”

One of the ways that happens is through my horse. A few minutes of messing around — brushing Calvin's face or feeding him a peppermint — and my inner child is calmed, at least for the moment. Nothing has changed, except me. But that's good enough for today, and I'm thankful for it.