The Good Old Days (Is There Even Such a Thing?)

Almost everyone who grew up in America has his or her own version of "the good old days." Even if you grew up under less than desirable circumstances, you probably have at least a few cherished memories from childhood. Perhaps a safe place of escape. An activity that allowed you to become lost in healthy creativity. A memory of spending time with a relative or friend. Ahhh...if only we could go back to that moment and put life on "pause".

For me, I grew up very poor. Our family of six lived in a 700 square foot house throughout much of my childhood. My parents struggled to make ends meet. My parents eventually divorced after many years of dysfunction and turbulence in their marriage. Yet as imperfect as life was, I still recount many great memories of those more innocent years. Now when I watch my own kids play, fight and roughhouse, I relive similar moments of when the world was much simpler.

Don't get me wrong - many blessings continue to fill the adult lives of those who are learning the art of thankfulness and contentment. But when I talk honestly with my adult friends, there is among us an overwhelming sense of angst. Life is difficult. At times it seems torturous. Whether we are walking through the fire or empathizing with those who are - we admit that something about this beautiful world is out of whack.

C.S. Lewis said "If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were created for another world." The Bible claims that this planet is Eden-gone-wrong, and suggests that this is why we often live in limbo between joy and sorrow, beautiful and ugly, pleasure and pain. What is so unique about Christianity is that while other faiths claim that humanity can reach up to find God through human effort, Jesus is the exact opposite: God reaching down to humanity.

Perhaps you have never considered this crucial difference. Perhaps you believe that all religions are basically the same. With no intent to offend, I must say that such a claim is both ignorant and insulting to ALL religions. Clearly, religions do NOT all teach the same thing. And among them, Jesus's claims are by far the most distinct. He empathizes with our pain. He enters into the mess we've made in our sin. When someone tells me they can't believe in a God who allows kids to starve to death, I am compelled to remind them that this planet has been endowed with far more than enough resources to care for 10 times the current population. Let's be honest - God has not been the stingy one. If indeed He created us - He has given us more than enough to go around. The annual collective spending on ice-cream in America is enough to provide clean drinking water to the entire continent of Africa. What if the problem is essentially US? What if WE are the reason kids starve to death? I know it's much easier to blame God for this stuff. But what if it's true that He has called US to be His hands and feet - the ones who drill wells and feed the hungry?

Suddenly, when we begin to view the world through this lens, the randomness of life begins to seem far less random! We begin to discern a greater purpose for WHY we have been placed here! As followers of Jesus, WE are ambassadors of a kingdom that is not of this world, and as such we are to implement the compassionate, redemptive and healing work of Jesus until He returns to bring in the fullness of that kingdom. God invites us to be more than just part of the audience watching a cruel story pass us by. He invites us to be part of the CAST of characters in His grand story of redemption - and heroes rather than villains no less! This makes life worth getting out of bed for every day! This changes everything! This allows us to quit wishing we could return to the "good old days" (which never really existed in the first place) and to make someone else's days on earth better than they would be without us! Would you agree? I'm interested to know your thoughts. Please leave you comments! :)