Old Barns

(Photo by Hazel King)

Where I live, old barns like this one still dot the landscape, bringing back memories of bygone days. We often look with nostalgia upon the past, thinking of it as the “good old days.” Someday we may look back on 2009 through the same rose-colored glasses. On the other hand, things in our past can hinder our Christian walk. We store our past hurts in “old barns,” unable to let go of the pain. If God can forgive and forget our sins by casting them into the depths of the sea, he can surely heal our memories and free us to live victoriously in him. Old barns are monuments to the past but they are more like tombstones than museums. It is okay to look back at the past with fondness. It is fine to look toward the future and envision a better life for ourselves. But let’s not let regrets about the past or plans for the future steal our present. It is all we have. The Apostle Paul said, “…this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13b-14, KJV). We will be happier and more effective Christians if we find a way to do the same.

-Hazel King
© 2009
Hazel811@embarqmail.com