Balancing the Past with the Future

We’ve been busy in the garden. We’d spent a week preparing – digging out plants to be kept, removing weeds and old roots, treating the fence, adding compost. We’d bought a few new plants on Friday. On Saturday we planted it out.

We see this outside our back window every day. After 35 years we decided that it needed to change. The past was good; we want the future to be better!

There’ve been continuing tributes to Queen Elizabeth. I particularly like this ‘Marsh Family’ tribute. There are stories, pictures and quotes; looking back with memories of a life well lived.

There’s also looking forward… plans for the next Monday’s funeral… reading King Charles’ accession proclamations… Charles making promises, addressing the nation… speculation regarding his style of leadership…   

I received an email from my friend Bill this morning. His wife Kate’s surgery a year and a half ago led to complications and neurological problems. Kate regularly suffers with acute anxiety…

Bill and Kate have two young children… Kate started new treatment last week. The effectiveness of this treatment will affect their family’s future. Past trauma… present treatment, present anxieties… future hope.

At church yesterday Fox told his story… his past chronic alcoholism… praying to God in his desperation… becoming free from his addiction… changing to a life of faith in his God.

I spent a couple of evenings last week at church with Jon and Mally… up a ladder and scaffolding tower… putting this text up on front wall… painstakingly getting words and letters in their correct place. It’s not straightforward on a curved wall!

The prophet Isaiah has talked about the history of the nation, of the good things their God has done. He says remember, but don’t dwell on the past; look forward to a new future.

Musing… I’ve a lot more ‘past’ to remember than ‘future’ to look forward to… Even if my future includes wilderness and wasteland I can look forward to new ways and springing streams!