A Forward View

When you’re 77 years old, it’s easier to look back rather than forward. You’ve accumulated a lot of memories by then and the prospects of getting older aren’t very pleasant. More wrinkles . . . more aches and pains . . . more loss of loved ones . . . more difficult memory retention. Ah, and it’s easy to ponder “the good old days.” Life was less complicated. Less confusing.

Of course,the present is not all bad. I continue to see my grandchildren graduate from college, pursue new careers, and develop their distinctive lifestyles. I gain more precious family members, either by marriage or new births of great-grandchildren. And fortunately I have children and grandchildren who can help me navigate through the maze of technology that I try to incorporate into my lifestyle. Communication with all of my loved ones is instant and close at hand. I miss getting old fashioned letters, but I like staying in touch by the push of a button.

I remember the thrill of getting an orange in my stocking at Christmas. The rare privilege of walking to the ice cream store with Daddy. The Sunday night hymn sings where several churches would get together and “raise the rafters” with the old time gospel songs. Now I wonder what my grandchildren will remember when they get old. I hope they remember sitting and sharing stories and music with me. And tea parties and painting pictures and making scrapbooks.

But I’m getting off track here. I want to look forward, because for a child of God, the best is yet to come. There will be more family gatherings here on earth and in heaven. A few of the wonders that await us are described in the Bible, but there’s no possible way to explain life in the heavenly realm with simple minded folks in an earthly one. So I ponder and anticipate without much accurate realization. There will be indescribable beauties! But most of all, I look forward to relationships. I will know my Savior on a new level. And I will live forever with people I love in a perfect world. You can’t beat that!

So my motto for today is: “ . . . forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13 & 14) Will you join me in the forward march?