Nostalgia: Not A Bad Thing

This morning, my wife found and broke out some old photos from our childhood, high school, and few years before we were married. Of course when we began looking at them a rush of memories flowed. We remembered old boyfriends/girlfriends, friends, and events in our lives that shaped us. Now there was a potential to get in emotional trouble. If we began comparing where we are with where we were and longing for those times again it could lead to discontent and dissatisfaction. It could lead to a spiral of wishing that we were somewhere else entirely. This then could lead to our questioning of God and His plans for us.

In Deuteronomy, it opens with Moses giving a speech. In this speech, he begins to give an account of what the children of Israel have been through while in the dessert. He does so in a way, that he points to God and how He has led them on their journey. He reminds the Israelites of when they were down how the Lord had delivered them. He reminds them of when they were disobedient how God corrected them. Most importantly he reminds them of where they were going. To the Promised Land.

So if you are currently in a place of nostalgia, be careful. It is okay to remember where you've been. Its not okay to dwell there and not move forward. You are where you are at for a reason and a purpose. Just remember that God has a plan for you. Ask Him and He will reveal it to you.

Hillsong, Flogging Molly, NOFX, and You

I am currently on a fast from secular music. Not because when I listen to it, does it make me do bad things. I take complete responsibility for my actions. I am doing this rather as a way to maintain my focus on God and not on the things of this world. While I said that listening to secular music does not "make" me do bad things, it does lend itself to unwholesome thoughts and a distraction from God. We are a very distracted society. Everything from music to television to billboards on the highway create daily distractions with the hope of tricking us in to buying whatever they are "selling". We are to stay focused on the Lord at all times, not just on Sundays or in our quiet time. In your conversations with friends, to driving to the store, always fix your eyes on Jesus.

The reason that I titled my blog the way I did, was for a few reasons. One, while running this morning, I listened to Hillsong. One song in particular, Tear Down the Walls. It is one of my favorite Hillsong songs. It evokes emotion every time I listen to it and breaks my spirit for the Lord. While running I was reminded of my children lifting up their voices while singing the lyrics and it just made me overjoyed that they could connect even at such a young age.

The second thing is that of Flogging Molly and NOFX. Great bands in their own right, but while listening to them, I was distracted with thoughts of the past and that of just plain nothing. The songs that I listened to didn't have explicit lyrics, but it was just the emotion and thoughts that accompanied them. Not God focused.

Now I am not saying that you shouldn't listen to these bands or other secular ones, or that I am never going to listen to them again. Rather that each individual is responsible for your relationship with God, no matter how strong or even existent it is. Don't let something as petty as music distract you from what God has for you. Don't let anything distract you from God. You will miss out on the best thing that you could ever have.