Memories and looking back.

Selfie.

I did something I seldom do, I looked back over things I had written and some of my artwork from the last year. I think there is always room to look back and reflect to be aware of the past and to use this to try and improve the future. 

There is nothing sadder than to see modern politicians acting in such a way that it seems they are oblivious to the mistakes of the past. It is as though they have learned nothing at all from history. We continue to make the same mistakes all over again.

I remember another time I looked back. I had just moved from my first church to become minister of my second congregation. During my previous six years, I had kept all of the sermons I had preached. Now here I was at the start of a new ministry, surely all those sermons would be a great blessing and saving of time. I could preach them again. Some of them I was sure would not be able to be preached again because there would be those that had been specific to a certain event in history and time. But there would be a good many that could be used.

How wrong I was. Slowly but surely I realised that I had moved on and much of what I had said in the past I would not repeat in the present. it was even worse than that. I realised that I had said and preached some things that now embarrassed me completely. Had I really had the arrogance to say such things?

Yesterday I looked back at much of the artwork I had completed in the past year. Artwork I had been pleased with. Some I thought with some small changes might be better but some were not so great.

The truth was that I found myself ashamed to think I had been happy at all with much of it. Digital art painted on my IPad were easy to sort, I deleted a great many. Deleted from memory if not from the brain.  The one on today's blog I know a good few friends did not like at all but I had in fact liked. Now I could see it was mediocre. I have made an attempt to smooth and soften its brash harshness. Still not sure if I like it as I did then but I will look again next year.

There is an old man who every evening walks down to the shore with a bucket of food scraps where he feeds the seagulls. Now feeding seagulls are against the law in the UK but he does this act of lawbreaking almost every day. When asked why he told the story of when he had ditched his plane in the sea during the war. The rations had all been used up and he felt like giving up. A seagull perched on his little dingy and as if sacrificing itself allowed itself to be caught and eaten. Now he was paying back his thanks and respect. 

When we face difficulties, we sometimes forget the lessons of the past. We see only the detours and the dangerous path, the difficulties and the pains. But look back in earnest and you will also see the joy of victory, the challenge of the climb, and the presence of your travelling companions who stood beside you and offered support. Those companions and friends who have promised never to leave you nor forsake you and have been true to their word. 

it can be a painful excercise but one well worthy of your time if we are ready to learn from history. 

Have a marvellous day and in these dangerous times let us hope those in positions of responsibility learn from past errors of time and learn.