Way Back When

My phone was in my purse.
It was buried under my wallet, a pack of tissues, my lipstick, a notebook, and a pen.
Hours later I realized that my phone was not in its usual place.

I went to retrieve it.
Five text messages and one voicemail were missed during that time.
Nothing urgent, but for those hours I was unreachable.

I am not an advocate of 24/7 reach-ability.
I am an advocate of stillness.
Having children, no matter the ages, makes you glad you are reachable, however.

What did we do way back when?

Way back when we had phones on the wall of the kitchen.
Long cords ominously wrapped around you if you went somewhere private to talk.
You were tethered to the wall and within earshot of anyone else in the house.
That was not such a bad thing.

Way back when no one had computers in their home.
Companies had computers that took up an entire climate controlled room.
There was no Internet but there was the public library.
There was no Google but there were encyclopedias.

Way back when there was no cable TV.
There were three channels and later about three more.
News was at 6:00 pm and 11:00 pm.

Music was heard through transistor radios that needed batteries or small record players.
The music quality was like listening to your favorite song through a sock.

Way back when there were full service gas stations.
You had an attendant that pumped your gas, washed your windows, and checked your oil.
Gas was less than one dollar per gallon.

Way back when people stayed home more and ate out less.
Children didn’t have as many structured activities.
They played outside, with other children who played outside, too.

There were no elaborate toys or computer games.
There were old-fashioned one-speed bikes with banana seats and spokes in the wheels.
There were wooden bats that cracked when you hit the amazing home run.
There were deflated footballs and basketballs that needed to be filled with a foot pump.

Way back when going to the movies meant only one movie was playing in the theater.
Way back when was a time when don’t take candy from strangers was your admonition.
Way back when children came in first, second, or third place.
They didn’t all come home with a ribbon.

Way back when there was a prevailing Christian worldview.
Absolutes were recognized; gray was just a color in the crayon box; not a positional area.
Way back when babies were seen as a blessing, not an inconvenience.
Way back when life was protected, not usurped under the guise of choice.

Way back when men and women were married.
They married young and began their life and their family together.
Marriage isn’t a business deal or a hedonistic playground.
It is holy and God ordained; it is His means to continue His Kingdom.

Way back when the church was very different from the world.
There was preaching and teaching that held out a better way.
The Bible, the Word of God is THE source, not just another option.
Way back when Truth, who is a Person, was known.

Way back when, there was God.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light…God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. (Genesis 1:1-3,31)

Way back when, there was God.
Right now, there is God.
A living, involved, sovereign, omniscient, loving, and merciful God.

He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be My son…the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him. They will see His face and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 21:6,7 and 22:3-5)

Way back when…God.
Right now…God.
Forever more…God.

God who is reachable, and who is known in the stillness.
God who cuts the cord of the enemy that ominously wraps around us.
God, who sent His Son to tell us about the way back when, and the now, and the forever.

What a mighty God we serve.