The Good Old Days
Memories are important in many ways. We all depend on them to hold fast to the past, friends and loved ones now gone on, and the happy times shared with them. Sometimes memories require that we recall the not so enjoyable aspects of life. In this life, sometimes we may tend to “tweak” some of our memories that they be what we most desire, rather than what they really were. Perhaps one of the things that will not “leave us” or that we will not leave behind is memory. Luke 16:25 indicates that we might recall our life before our death, after we leave our bodies. Not all will be able to “look back” fondly on their time here after these lives are over. This is because all will “reap what soever they sow”.
Let’s live our lives in obedience and service to God in accordance to His Word, so when this life is over, we can look back and actually see that the time in which we could affect our eternity were really the “good old days”.
Below, is a poem written by my wife’s father in 1978 that looks back.
The Good Old Days
The good old days, were in many ways
“the golden years of yesterday”,
when morals were high, it was wrong to lie,
your word was your bond, and your friends knew why.
There was neighborhood, and a joy to do good,
lend a helping hand whenever you could.
More people attended the House of Prayer,
Heard sin condemned while they were there.
No one was “liberal” or “conservative” then
good was right and wrong was sin.
O, nobody claimed to be a hundred percent,
and the preachers back then said you must repent.
In the good old days, it was never so
that criminals were honored as sick heroes.
Patriotism glowed like a lamp in the sky
and your heart skipped a beat when the flag passed by.
Men loved their country and showed their pride
and because they did, a lot of them died.
Some on their knees saw times that were rough
But vict’ry and freedom were worth being tough.
And the Constitution, then, was considered correct
as prayer time in school taught the children respect.
Women were women, and men were men
in acts and in dress as it should have been.
We had radio, but no T.V.
and electric power was a luxury.
Nobody had two hens in the pot
and a pair of shoes a year was all that we got.
Five miles to travel was a little far
when you walked, but we got there without a car.
And the “out-house” stood away out on the hill
where you didn’t stay long because of the chill.
There were two at the foot and two at the head
and the lucky ones got the feather bed.
We went to worship and served the Lord,
got along with Him by obeying His Word.
Well, I guess that I could go on and on
about those good old days, now forever gone.
And so is Mae and my mom and dad
who made life worth it when things were bad.
Yes, I was poor, but I’m not ashamed
and I don’t know a person who can really be blamed.
If I had it all to do over again,
I’d be a better man than I was then.
They said it back there, and I believe it still
“put your faith in God, not a dollar bill”.
And while there’s improvement in many ways,
I wouldn’t take nothing, for the good old days!!
O.D. Wilson - deceased
Why not look into God’s Word today and make the needed changes so that when this life is over, you’ll have no regrets and the memories from this life won’t haunt you forever. Obey God’s Word. Live for God, and make the preparation for eternity. As Jesus stated in Matthew 6:33: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. What have you got to lose? Only your soul.
Dennis Strickland – Mooresville church of Christ
