I would flee far away and stay in the desert. – Psalm 55:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 16, 2019): Psalm 55

Czech born but self-described Frech writer Milan Kundera, in his book “Ignorance,” argues that “The Greek word for "return" is nostos. Algos means "suffering." So nostalgia is the suffering caused by an unappeased yearning to return.” Kundera believes that our pain today is only increased because of our longing for yesterday. A church leader once commented to me that the church is well-positioned for ministry if we ever return to the 1950s. But the truth is that the 1950s will never return. And so we long for a time that has passed. We remember the successes, often inaccurately, of what happened yesterday. And in doing so, we refuse to prepare for tomorrow, and we create a greater emotional distance between the presence of yesterday and the reality of today. And our suffering is increased.

David admits that there is part of him that would like to flee from the stresses of his day and stay in the desert. He would be willing to lessen his influence on a nation to have a life that is ruled to a greater extent by peace. And part of David’s desire is that he wants to return to what he remembers as the simpler days; days when he wandered through the wilderness and God seemed to care for his needs miraculously. But, while David remembers those times with fondness, the reality is that as David lived through those memories, that they were often filled with great stress and a questioning of whether tomorrow was even possible. David’s suffering in the present was increased by a view of the past that was rosier than reality, and his desire to flee from the stress of his day to that time and place, a time and place that never really existed, is misplaced.

And yet this is our reality. We still like to remember, and wish that we could live in times past. When the stress mounts in our lives, we often increase our suffering by wishing that we could return to a yesterday that never really happened. Charles Spurgeon, quoting an older theologian, argues that “it would have been more honourable for him (David) to have asked for the strength of an ox to bear his trials, than for the wings of a dove to flee from them.” More honorable, maybe. But it might also have been an impossible task for David, or for us. We seem naturally bent toward nostalgia. And there are times when that is okay. But as we immerse ourselves nostalgia, we need to remember that too much time wishing for the past does increase our suffering in the present. We need to understand that the history that we remember is far different from the long-gone days that we experienced. And that the 1950’s, or any other past decade will not be returning. Their trials and their blessings were reserved for that day. And today brings a new trial and many new blessings. And we need to greet today with everything that God provides us.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 18