If You Want to Be Content, Stop Looking Back
“Why? Why? Why?” The seemingly endless questions of a three-year-old test our patience at times. But even in those moments, we rejoice because those whys reveal a budding interest in how the world works. And asking why about the world isn’t just for kids—it’s for all people at every age, because curiosity about creation points to the Creator. But whys aren’t always good, particularly when they’re focused backward rather than forward. That’s what the preacher in Ecclesiastes tells us: Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this. (Eccles. 7:10) Looking back—it’s something we’re all tempted to do from time to time. We look back to something we once had—health, wealth, success, a relationship—that’s now lost to us, perhaps forever. But often our backward look isn’t so much to a major loss but to a time that worked just a little bit better than now. Perhaps today we don’t enjoy the quality of friendships we knew before, or our marriage ...