The Good Old Days

I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine at church yesterday. We talked about the "Good old days" Cokes were a dime and TV, was in black and white. People talked to one another and genuinely waited for an answer when they asked about your health and your family. Crime was low and children rode their bicycles to school...where the most serious problems were gum chewing and failing to say "yes, m'am" to the teacher.

"What happened?", we asked one another. When did it change? In fact... how many people even remember those days?

I think most of society believes that world only exists in "Happy Days" sitcoms and the imaginations of novelists. But that's not true... I was there. I remember. And my friend remembered...

We sat on the front porch back then and floated back and forth in a swing that hung from a ten foot ceiling while the squeals of children could be heard up and down the street and the sprinklers whirled lazily around in circles on the lawns of our neighbors.

Terrorists? We didn't know that word. My mom mostly worried about someone slamming the screen door and her cake not rising because of it.

If you heard a police siren, it was a big deal. A crowd would gather quickly to see what happened. These days, sirens are such a normal part of the background noise that we don't even notice them. Never mind wonder what happened to cause it. We really don't care, for the most part.

We paused in our conversation as we both pondered the memories of our childhoods and compared them to the world we live in today. It was a heavy moment of silence that required no comment. We both knew what the other was thinking. Is it over? Are those days gone for good? Are they only alive in the memories of the baby boomers, now?

During that moment, the Spirit of God stirred in my heart, the answer... "No"... they are not gone for good. They are easily restored. All we need is revival in our nation. We need to come back to God.

The days of purity and innocence were enjoyed by a former society...because they put God first. When they did that... when they gave Him their lives and accepted His forgiveness and mercy... He poured out His blessing in such measure that we had a little bit of heaven on earth.

"Thy kingdom come...Thy will be done... on earth, as it is in heaven"... was a reality, because His kingdom had come. We were able to care about our families, our neighbors and our country because our hearts were full of God's love. That kind of love is supernatural. It is not something we can muster up on our own.

We love...because He first loved us... and gave Himself for us.

We can have it back if we want. Oh, how I would love for my grandchildren to experience that kind of world.

Joy, purity, honesty, love...hope.

Wouldn't you?

We can do it. Right now. It can start with you.

Just close your eyes and ask God to give America another chance. A chance to be a godly nation again. A pure and beautiful place, where we do what's right...because it's right... and then we do it..."right". The way it used to be.

Ask Him to start with your heart...and then encourage someone else to do the same.

Tell someone about God's love today... about what it takes to truly see God bless America again...

Kate~

Comments

[MAndy]

Hi Kate,

Its a blessing to read you're spirit filled words yet again. We do not often realize the power of Our Lord's prayer..."Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done." We can experience what we thought we lost through the power of His love, if only we choose to love Him. Your writing always inspires me with fresh thoughts, giving me something to think about the rest of the day. Do keep writing, and Praise God for his spirit moving in our midst.