I spent this past week at the beach on a study retreat, working on several sermon series for the rest of the year. Thursday was beautiful day, so I went for a short bicycle ride. When I rode by a park, young kids were practicing baseball on one of the fields. Dads and moms stood around watching and coaches had the kids in groups working on various skills. For a moment I reflected on a time when I was one of those parents.

Monieca and I spent a lot of time at fields watching our son practice and play baseball. From tee-ball to high school, spring was baseball.

Not anymore!

Just like the seasons change, life changes and we experience different stages as the years pass. This is the way God ordained it when He created us.

Like every parent whose children are grown, I miss those days. The memories are good. But today is also good. One of the lessons life seeks to teach us is that a life lived well is good in any stage or season. God has blessings for us that are new and fresh. The real sadness is not that time passes and good days become memories. The real sadness is choosing to live in the past and miss the blessings God has for us in the present.

I choose to live by the admonition of our Lord in Psalm 118:24:

“This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

What about you? How are you choosing to live?

Pastor Steve Hogg