Not too long ago I announced my retirement from Stoneybrooke. I have one more year as the head of school and then it is time for “what’s next.” I have been giving that new life assignment quite a bit of thought the last few years.

Along the way, I came across this quote from one of Chuck Swindoll’s essays entitled “Prophet Sharing.” He is expressing a perspective that I definitely want to avoid.

“Always evaluating where we’ve been…always reacting…searching for ways to settle in and find comfort on our sofa-like surroundings…yawning…slumbering in the sleepy, warm twilight of sundown…finding a great deal of security in the mediocrity and predictability of sameness…We are like chatty, laughing tourists taking snapshots of the lowlands through rose-colored filters…enjoying today’s lull…we are yesterday-dwellers…avoiding the reality of today.”

That phrase “yesterday dwellers” caught my eye. The Israelites were certainly yesterday dwellers when they whined and complained about the lack of familiar food as they wandered out in the desert. They cried out, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt!”

Those Israelites are not the only “yesterday dwellers.” I am afraid that many of us are guilty of being just like that. Think about the moms who long for the ‘good ol’ days’ when their children were little and perfect. Consider young adults who sit around pining for the carefree days of college.

Yesterday seems to be clearer and more desirable in the mirrors of our minds.

But of course, that isn’t God’s perspective. The realities of today are pressing. They need our attention and our focus needs to be on the challenges and rewards of tomorrow.

So this week, if you have been longing for the good ol’ days, make a conscious effort to stop it. Ask the Lord for a fresh perspective on your current life and circumstances. Camp on the blessings of what you have and do experience. Ask for the energy and enthusiasm to engage.

With Mathew 6:33-34 in mind, (“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow…”) embrace the new day!