It is "Throwback Thursday" on Facebook. Many will be posting photos from back in the day to commemorate this sub-cultural holiday. We are not always kind when reflecting on our former selves. This is very apparent when women look back to the hairstyles or clothing they wore as teenagers. They often laugh or cry when they see the big hair or dated styles. It can even devolve into a ridicule session aimed at the time itself. This is ironic because during that time, they thought they were the coolest thing going. They were actually trendy. But time has a way of turning the hot of today into the lukewarm of tomorrow. While it can be funny to consider how silly we were in earlier times, we must be careful to not despise the process of growing up. The dated look can cause us to look down upon our younger days, but we should not let our current experience become a source of pride. One day you may look at pictures of yourself today and wonder what you were thinking. Instead we should realize that who we were was a part in making us who we are. Certainly there are things we did that should have been left behind. But that doesn't make them of no value. I don't crawl around on the floor anymore... but that doesn't discount the importance of me crawling when I was a baby. As they say, "You have to learn to crawl before you can walk." As painful as it may be, even the difficult times of our past are integral to who we are today. It has been said that, "Life is a stage." And yet, at the same time, life is made up of various stages. The photo attached to this devotional is of the first Apple computer. You will notice that there is no monitor. Even the keyboard was not actually included. Would you buy a computer today with no monitor or keyboard? Probably not. Someone could look at this picture and make fun of it. But that silly looking wooden contraption was the first step to changing the way humans communicate and interact. Make fun all you want... but you are reading this devotional on a computer that is the result of those early silly looking computers. Those early versions were necessary to the current expression. We have become who we are, but we are not who we will be. The Bible talks about this concept of maturing... "We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light." (Colossians 1:9-11) I may not be who I was. I may actually be disappointed in some things I did. I may roll my eyes at my former immaturity. I may weep at my failures. But I should see God's hand in my life. I have learned. I am learning. I have grown up in some areas. Rolling over was a major accomplishment for me. So was crawling. Then toddling. And walking. Then one day I ran. Life is about change. I am different today. I will be different tomorrow. The question is, will I be better different or worse different. Change is real. Hairstyles change. Clothing styles change. Computers change. Thinking changes. Today you will change. Do not despise change. Embrace it and let it be a stage for transformation. This is an absolutely free resource. If you would like to support us, you can give via the above link. The video below is associated with the topic.
drag&fly
12/3/2016 04:30:25 pm
i am hoping to be better-different but i feel as though all my past is insurmountable. too much failure & too much brokenness that is dragging me down. i don't know how to get past all that. a friend showed me your blogs about 2 weeks ago. i like your writing, just having a hard time getting what you write into the thought patterns in my head.
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David
12/5/2016 08:21:13 am
Your comment is a real issue for many people, including myself. And it inspired the devotional today. I hope this is helpful in some way.
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drag&fly
12/5/2016 06:11:00 pm
thank you. if you could keep me in your prayers so that i would actually see myself as God sees me. i think i had some theological training as a youngster that gets in the way. i tend to see God as more distant than He probably is and i also tend to see him as harsh as my parents were. it's hard to get around all that. i want to & people tell me if i stay in the word, i will be able to overcome but it's like there is a giant block that keeps me from seeing that i too can believe that God loves me hugely. i always see myself in the passages that talk about fools. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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AuthorMy name is David, and I want to know God more, and help other people find Him. Archives
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