a letter about nostalgia

nostalgia

: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition

: a pleasure and sadness that is caused by remembering something from the past and wishing that you could experience it again

I find I experience this feeling of nostalgia quite often these days, where I look back and miss the time I had on my mission so much that I wish I could be back there. However, what does looking back longingly really do for me?

Theres a talk that Elder Jeffery R. Holland gives entitled "Remember Lot's Wife", where he tells the story of Lot's wife from the Bible. The scripture he quotes is from Genesis 19:17, and it reads “Escape for thy life,” the Lord said, “look not behind thee . . . ; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed”

He then goes on to say "One of the purposes of history is to teach us the lessons of life. George Santayana, who should be more widely read than he is on a college campus, is best known for saying, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (Reason in Common Sense, vol. 1 of The Life of Reason [1905–1906]).

So, if history is this important—and it surely is—what did Lot’s wife do that was so wrong? As something of a student of history, I have thought about that and offer this as a partial answer. Apparently what was wrong with Lot’s wife was that she wasn’t just looking back; in her heart she wanted to go back. It would appear that even before they were past the city limits, she was already missing what Sodom and Gomorrah had offered her.....So it isn’t just that she looked back; she looked back longingly.

In short, her attachment to the past outweighed her confidence in the future."

I read this talk again recently and thought a lot about my faith and my confidence in the future. l Have I been doubting that the future could be as good, or better than my past? Maybe I have. And thats something that I need to change. God has promised me time and time again that what is ahead of me is infinitely better than what I have left behind...and if He has promised me that, I should believe Him! I mean, my life is pretty fantastic right now! I have a wonderful family, amazing friends, I'm at school for something I enjoy, so I should be happy and look forward with faith.

I've been inspired by a good friend to set more goals for myself in the last week, and so one of my goals is to focus on the future, and to set goals so I can help my future become even better than my past. To look forward with faith.

Elder Holland ends his talk by saying "Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us."

The past is meant to be looked back on so we can learn, and build on the experiences we had and the person we became. And faith is acting on that...to change and become better every day so that when we do look back, we are grateful for who we were then, and who we are becoming now.