I was sitting in the Edwards Cinema in Boise, Idaho when a thought struck me. Isn’t a big part of our life journey learning how to live with our past?
I am moving this month after living within a four-block radius for over 25 years. My life is filled with memories in my neighborhood. I have shopped at the same Safeway Foods for nearly 25 years. They have had about four renovations. I have too for that matter.
I have seen my Baby Boomer friends cling to some version of their past more than their parents. Yes, as cool as we are our past does effect our present definition of ourselves.
I think there are at least five ways we can deal with our past:
- 1. Regret
- 2. Relive
- 3. Resent
- 4. Retire
- 5. Review
I won’t take the time to turn each into a little sermon. You can play with each word on your own. It’s Monday and I just preached twice yesterday and I am not in the mood.
But the reactions are true. I guess what got me thinking about the past is watching Pirates of the Caribbean III. I didn’t care for it much. There wasn’t much of a story line. I think I will have to see it again to appreciate it as a movie. But the past, present and future are all kind of blurred in this flick. I think just like our lives. The dead stuff, living stuff and future threat all loom above your head the whole movie.
Just a little aside. I have noticed lately too that the really hip boomers have sort of morphed with the next two generation and the two following generation have done much the same thing with boomers. Unlike previous relationships generationally the last three have shared a pretty common history, values, and worldview. I think the past, present and future is going to morph into a unique kind of church life in the future.
We can talk more about this. I just think too much effort put into generation talk is a use of a lot of energy. Watch what the boomers do and you can predict the impact on everyone else and just go there. Watch how they relate to their grand kids in the future. Churches are going to be kids-centered as much as they use to be youth oriented and be concerned about their being involved in the church stuff.
As I say – we can talk more about this later…. Shalom
.jpg)
Several years ago I asked an elder Canadian Uncle of mine what he wished he’d
done differently with his life, or
perhaps more of. I’ll always remember his two-fold answer. He said he would take
more time to Review his life experiences - contemplate things more - think more - relax and
learn from his own life. Also, he wished
he’d not feared Risk so much. Life is short. Too short. Unfortunately, we scare ourselves to
the point of avoiding risk entirely, missing out on so much of the BIG stuff God had planned.