Pali zinthu zakale zomwe ziyenera kukumbukira. Kodi tikunena chiyani za iwo amene saphunzira mbiri yakale? Ayenera kubwereza! Baibulo nthawi zambiri limatilangiza kuti tizikumbukira kukhulupirika kwa Mulungu m’miyoyo ya ngwazi zachikhulupiriro, ndiponso m’miyoyo yathu. “Ndidzakumbukira ntchito za Yehova; ndidzakumbukira ntchito zanu zakale.” ( Salmo 77:11 ) Kukumbukira kwawo kwa mwana woloŵerera kunam’pulumutsa ku imfa m’khola la nkhumba. Nanga Yesu ananena chiyani za mkate ndi vinyo? “Chitani ichi chikumbukiro changa.” Koma kuphunzira kuchokera m’mbuyo ndi kusunga zikumbukiro zina ndi chiyamikiro choyenera n’kosiyana kotheratu ndi kudzimvera chisoni kopunduka kapena kulumala kozikika m’mantha akale kapena ngakhale kulakalaka kwapamtima kosakhalako.

Kapisozi wazaka 100 wochokera kusukulu yasekondale ku Washington adatsegulidwa mu 2000 ndi ziyembekezo zazikulu. Olemekezeka a boma adasonkhana ndi akuluakulu a sukulu kuti atsegule "zenera lakale" pamene capsule inachotsedwa pamwala wapangodya womwe unayikidwa mu 1900 ku Washington HS ku Seattle. Nawu mutu wankhani wosonyeza kukhumudwitsidwa kwa gululo pamene Washington Post inasimba nkhaniyi: “Kapusulo wa Nthawi Yotsegula Wasanduka Wosauka.” Zithunzi zonse, manyuzipepala, ndi zinthu zina zidasanduka chisokonezo chosazindikirika.

Nthawi zambiri ndimadabwitsidwa ndi anthu amene amawononga nthawi kulakalaka “masiku akale” abwino. Kodi anali masiku ati? Masiku opangira mapaipi asanalowe m'nyumba zaka zana zapitazo? Masiku a zipolowe za m’ma 1960? Masiku a Nkhondo Yapachiweniweni, Nkhondo Zapadziko Lonse ziwiri, Viet Nam kapena Nkhondo yaku Korea? Masiku asanafike zaka 50 kapena 60 zopita patsogolo zachipatala zimene zapulumutsa miyoyo yambiri? Kodi angatanthauze masiku opatulika a Yesu ndi mpingo woyambirira? Koma anthu ankadana ndi Yesu, kumunamiza komanso kumupha. Ndipo mpatuko, chiwerewere, ndi magaŵano zinavutitsa mpingo wa m’badwo woyamba. Kodi tiyenera kukhala ndi mtima wolakalaka masiku abwino akale amenewo?

Kukhala pagalasi lakumbuyo kumapangitsa kuti anthu aziona molakwika zinthu zenizeni. Lingaliro lakuti anthu anali osangalala, ntchito inali yabwino kwambiri, Akristu anali auzimu kwambiri, kapena kuti mabanja anali osangalala kwambiri ndi nthano chabe. Kwa anthu omwe moyo wawo uli mwa Khristu, masiku abwino kwambiri amakhala omwe akubwerabe. Komano, kukhala ndi moyo wakale kumaika malire pa mwayi wamakono ndi madalitso a mawa. Chotero kanizani chiyeso cholakalaka chimene chinali. M’malo mwake pempherani kuti mukhale ndi chiyembekezo, kuyenda mwa chikhulupiriro, ndi kusangalala ndi malonjezo a Mulungu a m’tsogolo. Mtumwi Paulo analemba kuti: “Ndiika mtima wanga wonse pa chinthu chimodzi ichi: Poiŵala zakale, ndi kuyembekezera zam’tsogolo, ndikuyesetsa kufikira chimaliziro cha liŵirolo, ndi kulandira mphothoyo, imene Mulungu ali mwa Kristu Yesu. kutiitana ife kumwamba.” (Ŵelengani Afilipi 3:13-14.)

There are things about the past worth remembering. What is it we say of those who don’t study history? They are destined to repeat it! The Bible frequently counsels us to remember the faithfulness of God in the lives of faith’s heroes, and in our own. “I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; I will remember your works of old.” (Psalm 77:11) A prodigal son’s memory of home saved him from death in a pigsty. And what did Jesus say about the bread and the wine? “Do this in remembrance of me.” But learning from the past and holding to certain memories with appropriate gratitude is quite different from a crippling remorse or a paralysis rooted in fears from the past or even the sentimental longing for a past that never was.

A 100-year old time capsule from a high school in the state of Washington was opened in 2000 with high expectations. State dignitaries assembled with school officials to open “a window to the past” when the capsule was removed from the cornerstone laid in 1900 at the Washington HS in Seattle. Here is the headline showing the group’s disappointment when the Washington Post reported the story: “Opened Time Capsule Turns Up Crud.” All the photos, newspapers, and other items had turned to a gooey unrecognizable mess.

I’m often amazed at people who waste time longing for “the good old days.” Which days were they? The pre-indoor plumbing days of a hundred years ago? The days of the riots in the 1960’s? The days of the Civil War, two World Wars, Viet Nam or Korean War? The days before the last 50 or 60 years of medical advances that have saved so many lives? Could they mean the pristine days of Jesus and the earliest church? But people hated, lied about, and murdered Jesus! And heresy, immorality, and division plagued the first-generation church. Should we be inclined to long for those good old days?

Living in a rearview mirror creates a distorted view of reality. The idea that people were happier, work was more virtuous, Christians were more spiritual, or families were happier is simply a myth. For people whose lives are centered in Christ, the best days are always those that are yet to come. Living in the past, on the other hand, puts a limit on today’s opportunities and tomorrow’s blessings. So resist the temptation to long for what once was. Pray instead to live in hope, walk by faith, and rejoice in God’s promises for the future. The Apostle Paul wrote, “I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.” (Philippians 3:13-14 NLT)

R. Boswell

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