Remembering ...

             “Tell us, you idols, what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome.

            Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; whoever chooses you is detestable. 

            “I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes— one from the rising sun who calls on my name. He treads on rulers as if they were mortar, as if he were a potter treading the clay. Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know, or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’? No one told of this, no one foretold it, no one heard any words from you. (Isaiah 41:22-26)

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. (Psalm 32:8)

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion to the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6)

 

          Have you ever noticed that when you look back, the path seems to be a fairly straight line? Even if the road winds back and forth and some roads intersect your road, when you look back, it often seems so simple. Or have you noticed that it often seems like it takes forever when you’re going somewhere you’ve never been? When you’ve taken that trip enough times to learn it, doesn’t it seem shorter, even if it takes as long? And if your navigator is someone you haven’t worked with before, doesn’t it seem like the trip takes longer or is more stressful? If your navigator has proven trustworthy, the stress disappears.

          These are all examples of what I’m calling “remembering forward.” Past experiences give one the ability to map onto the future. The way seems shorter, easier, less stressful, or more secure. This may be because we’re experienced, prepared, or have faith that someone or something else is experienced or prepared. Having looked back, we can look forward and understand that no matter how twisted and full of detours the road ahead may seem, it is more than likely to seem much straighter when we’re done. No matter how long it seems to take, it is only because we haven’t been here before that we perceive it so.