I realize this post (er,...ramble) about how time passes likely marks a rite of passage as a full-fledged adult, not just young adult. And this rite of passage is one that is certainly earned with experience, of which there is much variety. When I look back, sometimes the past feels strangely distant. Like, I can't believe that those experiences were reality at one point, and now they feel so far removed. So it got me to think - ought I to feel more nostalgic? I passed this year on going to my high school reunion and found myself with absolutely zero desire to go. That part of my past seems just that - my past. Some of us hold on to the past and live as if the past is still the present. And then there's the opposite extreme of completely ignoring the past like it never happened.

I think there can be middle ground here. My high school life certainly is not forgotten. It was a revelation of who I am at the core (the good, the bad, and mostly ugly). If those years had been more positive, would I have more desire to go back to relive them? Certainly. But one of the lessons you learn as an adult is that life goes on. You've changed. And you can't just go back to the way things were.

I've learned to remember the past and allow it to inform the present. But I do not allow it to dictate my present. I'm also very grateful that God saves us from our past sin so that we can live in present victory. And this to lead us to future glory, which at present, is something we can all eagerly long for.