That Was Then and This Is Now

Sometimes I can be listening to a song or I smell a certain smell or someone says something and it takes me back in time.

It can be good times that I think about or challenging times but sometimes it is sad times.

Our thoughts can cause us to think of how things may have turned out differently if we had made different decisions or made different choices. What if this and what if that.

The truth is we cannot change what happened yesterday, last week, last year or many, many years ago. Good or bad it is what it is.

That was then and this is now.

Recently I was listening to this song and the lyrics struck me as I was thinking about this blog. It is called:

‘Up where we belong’ BeBe and CeCe Winans

You alone know what tomorrow brings. In a world few hearts survive

All I know is the way I feel. And if its real, I’m gonna keep it alive

Cause the road is long. There are mountains in our way

But yet we’ll climb still higher every day

Lord, lift us up where we belong. Where the eagles fly on a mountain high

Lord, lift us up where we belong. Far from the world we know. Where the clear winds blow

You see some hang on to what used to be. Stop living your lives looking behind

Cause all we have is you right now. And our lives are in you to find

But the road is long. The road is still so very long. Yes, there are mountains in our way

But we won’t worry cause in Jesus we will climb every day

Lord, lift us up where we belong. Where the eagles fly on a mountain high

Lord, lift us up where we belong. Far from the world we know. Where the clear winds blow

See time goes by and sometimes yes, we‘ll cry. But He’ll wipe every tear from our eyes. Lord lift us up Jesus

Lord, lift us up where we belong. Where the eagles fly on a mountain high

Lord, lift us up where we belong. Far from the world we know. Where the clear winds blow

Have you seen an eagle soaring high in the sky? This magnificent bird is made to fly high. An eagle is the only bird that embraces the turbulence to push itself higher. When other birds flee from the weather, the eagle actively engages stronger winds to fly high above storms instead of seeking shelter.

There is a verse in the Bible that uses the description of an eagle to describe what it is like when we trust in the Lord.

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Thinking back to the lyrics of the song, ‘Lord, lift us up to where we belong.’ Do you know where you belong? Do you know that you do not belong to this world with all its pain and struggle and strife? It was never meant to be like this.

When God made the world, it was perfect, so what has gone wrong? We have gone wrong. Us humans have gone wrong. We live in a fallen world as a result of our selfish desires for things we think we need to be happy. We have all contributed to destroying our world, ourselves, and others in the process.

We have spoilt what was perfect and we cannot go back. We cannot change the past. All we have is here and now and our future.

When God saw what we had done to His perfect world He had mercy upon us. He loves us so much that He came to earth as a man and this man was called Jesus. Jesus died on a cross so that we could have our relationship with God restored. When we put our faith and trust in Jesus, we have the assurance of His presence in this life and the promise of eternal life when we die.

God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him

John 3:17

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life

John 3:16

Will you let the Lord lift you to where you belong? Remember we cannot change the past but we can always make more informed choices today that can have a huge impact on our future.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13