A Bit of History

I love history.  I love for a couple of reasons.

One is that we inevitably have a romanced view of what happened in the past, so it's a pleasant experience to remember.  One other reason is that there are valuable principles to be gained from a study of history.

I also love being a pioneer.  I have always enjoyed change, even with the pain and discomfort it usually causes.  In the end, it's always worth it.  There is something always to be learned or gained, and if we hit it just right, both.

One doesn't get to be a pioneer without looking forward.  Looking over our shoulder doesn't help us when we're moving forward because we can't see where we're going.

And let's face it, time keeps right on going, like a river.  It always picks us up and takes us -- sometimes fighting and screaming like children throwing tantrums, and other times mercifully thankful to move on.

Looking forward also means you have to have something at which to look.  Whether it's just our feet moving in steps of blind faith or a goal we're striving to achieve, God gave us eyes for a reason.

I often cringe when I hear the words "don't mess with what works."  I always wonder just how much longer it will work, and to what end?  Is this thing we refuse to change really going to last?

Of course it won't last.  Nothing really lasts -- one look at the castles of Europe or last week's leftovers will leave us with one conclusion:  things aren't made to last.  And more importantly, God didn't create the world to last.

Even Paul says this:

Phillipians 3:13-15 (New International Version)


Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: 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.


I'm a sheep.  I do the following when it comes to my husband and other leaders.  I lead some small groups of sheep where I'm qualified and called.  But overall, it's not my job to cast vision and be a big-picture person in the kingdom.

I depend on my shepherds to do that.  And I really do pray that they don't depend on history to do it.  Because again, it is the principles of history -- and not the practices of it -- that should guide us.

xoxoxox