We all can think back to better times in our lives. Maybe you are older now and miss the days of your youth. Maybe it was when your children were home, and you now are empty nested. Maybe you were in better health before than you are now. Maybe you were at one time in a closer relationship with God than you are now, and you are now missing those days of a closer fellowship with Him. Maybe you were once in a church fellowship that you miss, or you miss your parents or another loved-one that has passed away. In the Bible, when we read about Job, and all of the trouble he had, we also get to see that he was no different than we are. While in his suffering he actually said, "Oh, that I were as in the months of old." (Job 29:2 ). This shows us that he was just as human as we are, and felt the same emotions as we do when facing trouble. However, I don't know anyone who has gone through as much as he did.
Sometimes it is easy for us not only as humans, but as Christians to reflect back to better days with a sense of longing to see them once again. This often happens when we are not as happy in our present life. I know when I first became a Christian, I told everyone about Jesus, and what He had done for me. I read my bible as if I were a hungry beggar eating bread. I spoke often with the Lord, and especially every morning while the rest of the world was still. I remembered once hearing an older saint tell me that the reason I was so zealous was because I was a "baby Christian." He went on to tell me that after a while I would simmer down. At the time I felt like saying, "Get behind me Satan" to this man, but I just ignored it. I wish I could say I'm just as zealous for the Lord today as I was then, but if I were honest, I'd have to admit I have simmered down just as the old man had told me. I still pray in the mornings, and other times, I still read my bible, and when the opportunity presents itself, I still witness to people. Something has changed though. "Oh, that I were as in the months of old." - except I would have to say years.
What has happened? I still believe in Christ. I still put my trust in Him. I still love Him. However, today I've got a few more spiritual battle scars than I did back then. I've encountered more doctrines, religious traditions set by men with ulterior motives, and just (no better way to express it) cruel people. I signed up for the carnival ride that was being a Christian, and quickly began to realize that this ride was more intense than I first realized. I wasn't at the carnival at all, but I had enlisted in a war!
Today, when I think back to the older saint who said, "...I would simmer down" I'm not nearly as judgmental toward him. Instead I see him as a much older, and wiser man, who had already collected his share of spiritual battle scars in his years. A good friend of mine once told me that "Christendom is a great institution, and within it you might even find a few Christians." I realize that this is a very somber, and negative outlook at the Church, but it has to some degree been my own experience. I'm happy to say that I've encountered way more than just a few people that I suspected were Christians within it however.
I've met people that have kept their zeal for longer periods of time. I have met those too that after taking a few steps into their new found Christian walk, they have given up, and returned to their old ways - some even being bitter towards Christianity afterward. Then there have been those who have kind of fallen into a mold of Christian duties without having a lot of enthusiasm about it.
So how does one keep from becoming completely jaded as they step out their Christian walk? I'm afraid that people may think I'm saying you will not encounter problems, but this is not the case. I'm saying that as a Christian you will be attacked by the enemy. He will use other people both outside and inside the Church to do so. There are ways to ward off his attacks however, and to fight against that temptation of just giving up.
First of all, you will need to take the focus off of yourself, and put it back on Jesus. Another way to put it more bluntly would be, it's not about you! It's all about HIM! Next we should take off the rose colored glasses we were wearing, and see the true reality - we do have an enemy, and we are at war with him. Many of us discover that we were disillusioned about what our new life would be like after becoming a Christian. Maybe we were promised wealth, health, and we perceived God as a benevolent old grandpa the sky that would never allow us to suffer. The truth is Jesus told us that we would suffer in this world, didn't He? A disillusion is not a bad thing actually, for it means the end of an illusion. Now we see the truth! The Christian life may not be easy, but it may actually be harder than going with the flow of the world. So welcome to swimming upstream.
Fellow Christian, you don't have to lose your zeal for God. You will have your valleys and your mountain top experiences while living for God. You will find your strength if you stay in fellowship with God through a healthy prayer life, reading His word, allowing it to renew your mind, abstaining from sin, and when you slip up, taking it to Him immediately, and also by having fellowship with others who are walking along the same road as you are, while encouraging each other, and keeping each other accountable. If you find yourself longing for the "months of old" in your Christian walk, then seek God and tell Him about it. He has a purpose for your life that involves transforming you to be more like His Son, Jesus. We can look back at the good old days, or the revivals of yesteryear, but we also can look forward to our future, both here with the ups and downs of life, but most of all when we someday step out into our eternal life, where there will be no more downs.
