We had just turned off The Office. My three teens and I had a great discussion about one of the quotes from the show. Andy from the show said, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”
It seemed to me people are searching for the “best” times in their lives so they don’t miss it. How do I know if the best is yet to come or if I’ve already lived the “good” parts and it’s all downhill from here? Guess what?
Those good old days? They are here. Right here. Right now.
God teaches us not to long for the good old days.
This quote resonated with my son all year. So for his graduation, we gave him a reminder that God teaches us to live in the moment. To not lament what was and not to worry about the future. We are to live each day focused on the Lord.
“These are the good old days” is inscribed on the bracelet. On the backside, Ecclesiastes 7:10 is engraved as a reminder of what God says about it. It’s a tangible mental note to soak up what each day brings and be grateful for the moment.
Brave is…realizing THESE are the good old days. We can get swept up in the world and lose focus on God. When we look toward others for our contentedness, we can get off track. When we focus our eyes on Jesus, He shows us He is all we need. He is enough.
When we talk about living each day as if it were the “good old days”, how do we keep that focus and help our teens navigate that as well? The foundation of our faith needs to be deeply rooted in the Word.
It starts with daily reading and also focusing on the good character qualities of Christ. Here are just a few books I pulled from my shelf that I have used and encouraged my teens to read. There are so many more, but this is a start. What other books have you read that you would recommend? Leave it in the comments so we can all learn!
Books
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1. The Way of the Heart by Henri Nouwen
2. In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen
3. Rhythms of Rest by Shelly Miller
4. A Contrarian’s Guide to Knowing God by Larry Osborne
5. The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
6. Desire by John Eldredge
7. Waking the Dead by John Eldredge
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