Good Old Days

Jer 3:16  "And this is what will happen: You will increase and prosper in the land. The 
time will come"--GOD's Decree!--"when no one will say any longer, 'Oh, for the good 
old days! Remember the Ark of the Covenant?' It won't even occur to anyone to say it--
'the good old days.' The so-called good old days of the Ark are gone for good. 

	It really was wonderful, that time when everything seemed to be in place and it 
just felt right. It was like there was this light shining down that made everything bright 
and hopeful. Whether it was a period in a relationship, the taste of a gratifying morsel, a 
ride on a spiritual or chemical high, business or academic success, or maybe a well 
received performance, there was a feeling that this moment, this time was a taste of 
living, a taste of how life should really be. Even though there might have not been much 
sustaining power or longevity associated with this experience, it was one that became 
filed into the memory system and forever became a gauge for future possibilities. 
	Our ability to recall past events is so essential in functioning at any level in life as 
our decisions and choices are touched in a great way by our feelings for those times. 
Even the simple input of information and facts will be impacted by whether there was a 
good experience with those facts. For those who have had an unfavorable association 
with numbers and math, there will be this big mental wall erected upon the request for 
that information, even though it may have been received and input. The information, on 
the other hand, that has been input along with a feeling of exhilaration will be that which 
is most readily produced and expanded upon. There may even be a strong impulse or 
desire to seek after whatever it was that brought that feeling. 
	While there will always be this touch of the past upon our taste of the present, for 
the treasures of the future to be acquired and enjoyed, there must be a letting go of the 
longing for a replay of that thing that once seemed so glorious. The 'good old days', while 
far removed from something to which our children might relate, must also become a 
distant memory for us, from which we've escaped to new and fresh horizons. For this 
dimming of the past's dominance to take place, however, there must be a savoring of 
today's victories and today's successes above anything before experienced. Though this 
may seem to be an impossibility, due to the bleakness of present circumstances, there is a 
profound and incredible exposure to God's glory for this day that has no dependence 
upon what might be taking place in this world around us. From the great resource of His 
presence there will be a vision of Him that will far remove the power of any former 
exhilaration. It is a challenge to press on past the things that have formed our view of life, 
but in Christ there is a light shown that corrects any skewed vision, allowing an ever-
growing anticipation of His next revelation. 
	I am eternally grateful for the life that has been given to us, and the chance to 
enjoy it to the fullest. I know that the Father desires the best for each one of us, and has 
given His own Son to make this possible. While there is a treasure of memories in this 
life He's given, however, I believe that He desires to be the God of the 'now', the Great I 
Am. If the yearning and the longing of the heart is for those past things in life that remain 
exalted in our thoughts, there may be a loss of passion for the 'Way, the Truth and the 
Life' and the memory He would like to direct for this day. May there come a day when 
there will no longer be a desire for the good old days, the things of the past that would lay 
hold on our focus. May we find complete and total release from the strongholds of the 
mind that look to the past for the power of their weapons, and may we forever escape to 
the incredible possibilities in the life that awaits our attention and focus, the life that if we 
let it, will be formed in His creative hands. Good-bye to the old. Hello, and welcome to 
the new.