Looking Back

The picture above was taken at Bethel Baptist Church in Alexander, GA last Sunday. Bethel celebrated their homecoming in grand fashion with dinner on the grounds and still the best food in the world. What a joy it was to see dear friends. We were able to sit and visit some and it was so hard to leave. Ray began his full time ministry at Bethel in 1989 and this was our family's first visit back in thirteen years. Obviously we've grown. It was a great time for us to look back at where we had been and where we are going. Have we grown spiritually? Has God used us in some small way? I pray that the answer is yes. We have a lot of nostalgic things in our home that remind of us of the past. We have stories to tell that teach our children of their heritage and how God has sustained our family. We have reminders of God's faithfulness to generations before. Looking back is helpful to grow in godliness. Joshua gives us the example of using things to remind us of what God has done. But we should know that the past is just that - past. We can't stay there or go back, only learn from its lessons. We can't make the mistake of trying to relive what's gone.