"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun"
Ecclesiastes 1:9
Has anyone else noticed this intense sense of nostalgia that’s pervasive not just within each of us, but within our culture as a whole right now? It seems like everywhere you look there’s a new series from the 80s being revived, a new video game from the 90s being remade, or a new childhood hero announcing their new memoir. And we eat it up, don’t we? (Myself included, Cobra Kai was an amazing show!) But WHY are we so obsessed with the past lately? Whether politically left or right, black or white, male or female, we all seem to feel pretty tense, and across the world right now there seems to be a pervasive sense that our best days, whether as a country, a human race, or as a planet, are firmly behind us. It leads me to ask myself, are the good times really over?
The good news, and bad news, is that two things never change. The first? God never changes, Hebrews 13:8 tells us “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” That’s a comforting promise in the midst of the crazy times we live in, we can know that He is unchanging. The second, is good AND bad news: The world has ALWAYS been this way. It just always SEEMS like the worst it’s ever been, because it’s the only time you’ve ever lived. 1 John 5:19 says the whole world is in wickedness, and that was 2,000 years ago. Sure things fluctuate, personally I think even though AI is scary it’s still probably a better time to live than in the middle of a world war, or Bubonic Plague, we have a lot of good, along with the bad. Every generation has its own unique good and bad things to deal with, we’ll have ours just as they had theirs. Our job is to hold on to the hope of Jesus and shine His light, wherever we find ourselves. So, are the good times really over?
Simply put, the good times aren’t over, my friend. Not because they’re still going, or because I can promise this world is going to get better, it might and it might not. The good times aren’t over because we haven’t even seen them yet. A day is coming when our best days here on earth, the days where time seemed to slow down and all was right in the world, will seem like the most mundane thing, if we even care to remember them at all. Our most joyful and delightful days will pale in comparison to what is coming in eternity. 1 Corinthians 13:12 says “We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!” Revelation 21:4 promises a day is coming when "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." So don’t be discouraged, don’t be broken hearted, our days have good and our days have bad, but even at their best and worst, they pale in comparison to what is coming. Are the good times really over? My dear friend, the good times have yet to come.
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