Dear Family and Friends,
 
A new year is upon us. Already? Do you feel like I do – that the year just started?
 
We’re not alone. Studies show that it’s quite common to “perceive” that the years speed up as we age.
 
Why?
 
A psychology study suggested it’s natural that the amount of information our minds process decrease as we age.
 
Every little thing our two-year-old grandson experiences is new. Every day is an adventure for him.
 
We, on the other hand, have fewer new experiences and our perceptions are less vivid.
 
With less information to process, we who are oldies perceive time as flying by.
 
The study went on to suggest we can stop time speeding up by introducing new experiences into our lives.
 
So, if you are interested in slowing down time with new experiences, let me start by sharing what the Bible tells us not to do.
 
Look back.
 
Jesus Himself told us not to look back.
 
“Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’”  Luke 9:62 NIV
 
Many who read Jesus’ exchange with a young follower come away feeling Jesus was rather harsh. I mean, what’s so wrong about the young man wanting to bid farewell to those at home?
 
Jesus wasn’t being mean. Using this metaphor, Jesus was just making a point – that following Him takes a full commitment. 
 
He was also warning us about looking back.
 
Looking back tempts us to dwell on the past.
 
Are you familiar with the term rosy retrospection?
 
Rosy retrospection is a well-studied cognitive bias of how we remember the past.
 
In lay terms, we remember details about events but not the emotions associated with those events.
 
And studies have found that negative emotions fade faster than positive ones.
 
As a result, the negative details about past events drift out of our memory over time while the positive aspects of our past experiences remain.
 
Thus, our view of the past is usually through rose-colored glasses.
 
Here’s an example of rosy retrospection.
 
This next verse tells of how the Israelites felt before their exodus.
 
“The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.”  Exodus 2:23-25 NIV
 
It wasn’t long before the Israelites forgot just how poorly they were treated as slaves.
 
“In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.’”  Exodus 16:2-3 NIV
 
Looking back not only tempts us to dwell on the past, it tempts us to never leave our old life.
 
In my role as a pastor, I know many who try to follow Jesus on a part-time basis. I’ve done so myself.
 
It’s a path best described as crooked. It’s a life that wavers back and forth.
 
It’s what a plow would do if one kept looking back. Or a car on the highway if one drove using one hand while constantly looking over one’s shoulder.
 
Jesus once said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”  Matthew 6:24 NIV
 
So, now that we know what not to do, what do we do?
 
Jesus made Himself quite clear – dedicate every moment of your life to Him.
 
If you feel what Jesus asks is easier said than done, there’s more to come…
 
In love always,