The Good ol' Days

by Joey Davis

"The good ol' days." This is certainly a term of endearment that every young person dreads hearing.

Almost every week of my life, I come across folks who long for those times. I often wonder which good ol' days they have in mind!?!

I think they probably are thinking of the good ol' days when "two bits" would get you a haircut or admission to see the Nashville Vols at Sulphur Dale. They are recalling an idyllic existence: no energy shortage, clean air, clear rivers, close families, fun at school. . . you know, the simple life. Today, if you pick up the paper and turn to almost any page, you'll find heartbreak and despair. Here's an example from a national periodical:

"The world is too big for us. Too much is going on, too many crimes, too much violence, and excitement. Try as you will, you get behind in the race. Science empties its discoveries on you so fast that you stagger in bewilderment. Everything is high pressure. Human nature can't endure much more!"

"Sound like this morning's paper? It appeared in the Atlantic Monthly on June 16, 1833. You know, back in the "good ol' days." The headline in the Boston Globe in mid-November 1857 . . . ENERGY CRISIS LOOMS. The subheading suggests that there was a chance that the world would go dark because of a shortage of whale blubber.

The thirties saw starting your car with a crank (if you had one), no indoor plumbing, and every family took baths in a number two wash tub. The forties saw young Americans dying by the thousands in a horrible war in a land far away, and the aftermath of the Wall Street crash.

Everything is a matter of perspective. As Charles Dickens wrote, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." How you see a period of your life depends on whether or not you have an attitude that trusts God. Maybe the "good ol' days" always seem to be in times past because we have changed more rapidly than the times.

There is nothing more sad than meeting someone who believes that their best days are behind them. As Christians, we must realize that the best days are always yet to come! If times change, we praise God because the changing times will afford us new and exciting opportunities to bring Him more glory. As Daniel wrote, "Let the name God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. And it is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings, gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding." ( Daniel 2:20-21)