Recurring patterns can be frustrating. It is as if we refuse to see yesterday and learn the lessons it had for us. On one hand, I understand the reluctance to study history. Of any subject I studied in school, it was at the top of my least favorite list. I found it hard to see what the past had for me now.
Two friends changed my view. I doubt that either of them have any idea of their influence. In both cases, it is their thirst of learning and being effective in the moment that drives their interest in the past. For one, the interest centers on a pivotal historical figure. For the other, it is the broad strokes of history and the lessons one can take from them. They rarely talk about their interest. They share when they know there is a genuine interest and the conversation is trusted.
As I reflect, I realize that it is the way they use history that changed my views. They want to learn and grow. Life offers history as a gateway for them to do that. The lessons are practical, real, and human. The links to our human weaknesses and failures is often strong. We have an opportunity to learn and grow from the experiences of others.
I often forget that God is with you and me. I am reminded through history that God is always present. “All our ancestors were led by the providential Cloud and taken miraculously through the Sea. They went through the waters, in a baptism like ours, as Moses led them from enslaving death to salvation life.” (1 Corinthians 10.2) They were fragile people that often forgot. Knowing this, God stuck with them.
With each moment, we can remember and walk stronger because of the lessons Life offers us. Lessons that remind us that God is with us, we are loved and cherished by God, and we are part of God’s family. Forgetting open us a fresh opportunity to learn. Wanting more, especially with the knowledge of what we have lost, is motivating.
