I spent my few moments outward thinking
Thinking through the headlines around the world.
From local to state, regional and national…
It appears we are skating on thin ice.
Crime, population boom, climate adjustments
There’s very little that’s positive, and that makes life scary.
Over the horizon, across the miles of distance
Nor through short-term ocular vision.
The world is getting worse than what we envisioned.
Remember when? Youngsters enjoying idyllic days
Hiking the woods, playing around the water,
Biking down trails and camping under the stars.
A simple tire and rope make a great swing under the trees.
We played “war” with pop guns and maneuvers
Tinker toys. Lincoln logs. Model cars, ships, and planes.
Hardy Boys and Tom Swift taught me the value of the written word
Instead of letting my imagination run through picture books
You know, those things some call “comics?”
The years speak, and the times? They are changing.
Could I be of the last generation to enjoy such joyful times?
Has it become so dangerous and hateful?
What are the stories of our youth that could keep us stable?
Though zombies and superheroes dot the entertainment landscape
Something is missing. A forgotten story has not been told.
A boy and his dog, life on a farm, the ease of moving forward
Without worrying about a crazed gunman or negative politics.
Life has changed. Everything is lived out on a screen.
From school to work, church to Hollywood, we are screen watchers
And not living life with tactile experiences. Hands-on. No. We watch.
Can we grow as a society with our focus on those square inches of glass?
We must find our confidence and keep juggling forward.
There’s gold at the end of the rainbow. It’s not found in technology,
It’s there in real-to-life experiences. Confidently. We must let loose.
Return to simpler times. Hot potatoes! Drop the temptation. Pick up your life.
Go forward. Make new experiences. That’s life, Forward, Ho!
This is what the psalmist did… Looking Forward, he Remembered Backward
Psalms 77:1-20 NKJV
“In the Day of Trouble, I Seek the Lord”
To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.
I cried out to God with my voice—To God with my voice;
And He gave ear to me.
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;
My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing;
My soul refused to be comforted.
I remembered God, and was troubled;
I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah
You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
I have considered the days of old,
The years of ancient times.
I call to remembrance my song in the night;
I meditate within my heart,
And my spirit makes diligent search.
Will the Lord cast off forever?
And will He be favorable no more?
Has His mercy ceased forever?
Has His promise failed forevermore?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah
And I said, “This is my anguish;
But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
I will remember the works of the LORD;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
I will also meditate on all Your work,
And talk of Your deeds.
Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary;
Who is so great a God as our God?
You are the God who does wonders;
You have declared Your strength among the peoples.
You have with Your arm redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
The waters saw You, O God;
The waters saw You, they were afraid;
The depths also trembled.
The clouds poured out water;
The skies sent out a sound;
Your arrows also flashed about.
The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lit up the world;
The earth trembled and shook.
Your way was in the sea,
Your path in the great waters,
And Your footsteps were not known.
You led Your people like a flock By the hand of Moses and Aaron.