August 14, 2022

Ezra 3: 13 (NIV)

No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

Joy in God is never out of season.*

I used to be amused when my husband’s parents would try to tell of a shared experience. I would often wonder if they were actually talking about the same event since it couldn’t possibly have happened according to both versions of the story. Each had his or her own perspective.

A similar occurrence is described here in Ezra, chapter 3. The Israelites have returned from their exile in Babylon and have begun the slow process of rebuilding the temple. The shouts of joy and the sound of weeping were the people’s response to the laying of the foundation of the temple-to-be. Among the crowd of celebrants were some old people who remembered the glory days of the original temple; their joy was tempered by memories of what they had lost and what they had suffered. Their wailing was indistinguishable from the shouts of joy. Same view, different perspective.

It is the same for us. We see things differently from those whose experiences and memories are not exactly the same as ours. Nostalgia for the good old days can easily turn a celebration into a bittersweet moment. Remembering the past is a good thing – whether they are good memories or bad ones. As someone has observed, “Memories are a strange thing. We can’t see them or touch them, yet who are we when they’re gone?”*

But problems arise when we allow the past to rob us of today’s joy and tomorrow’s hope. Let your past be the place where you store your happy memories and your important life-lessons. Follow Paul’s example: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3: 13 and 14)

Shed a little tear for the good old days but celebrate the Lord’s goodness today as you look forward with hope for tomorrow. Shout for joy!

You can go back and review the previous chapter and rejoice in God’s goodness, but don’t live in yesterday’s chapter. It’s over. It’s time to move on.*