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Familiar Chains
Weekly Edition #58: March 4th, 2026
Verse I Like:
“And the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
Weekly Dose
People are very skilled at forgetting the pain of the past.
The good parts linger and even hard seasons can start to feel warm.
Maybe it’s because we’re wired for familiarity. Nostalgia has a way of softening what once hurt.
You see it everywhere. Veterans speak fondly of “the good old days.” People in unhealthy relationships feel the pull to go back.
Difficulties lose their weight, and we’re usually left with selective memories.
There is a place for reminiscing.
But when reminiscing, I try to remember two things.
1.) I no longer feel the pain the way I once did. The sting has fully subsided, so I am not being rational.
That’s why journaling helps—it reminds me of what actually went on, not the fantasy version.
2.) If I went back, it wouldn’t be the same anyway. What happened then was meant for that season.
Some things belong to history.
Longing for the past only works if you’re willing to remember it honestly.
Something beautiful to remember though: If we’re aiming properly, what we’re moving towards will be better than what we left behind.
Quotes I Like:
“Principles are what allow you to live a life consistent with those values. Principles connect your values to your actions.”
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.”
Mane Message
Constantly throughout Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, the Israelites groan that their current pain/suffering is more than it was in Egypt and that they’d have been better off if God never took them from Egypt.
They sometimes go so far as to call Egypt the Promised Land, almost an insult directly to the Lord.
The Israelites so quickly forget about the struggles and toils of life as a slave in Egypt.
The Red Sea has closed. The chains are gone. And yet when hunger shows up, or thirst lingers, or the desert stretches longer than expected, they look backwards.
“It was better for us in Egypt.”
They remember the food. The predictability. The routine. At times, they speak as if Egypt itself were the Promised Land.
They don’t mention the oppression.
Or the crying out.
Or the reason they needed deliverance in the first place.
Egypt seems distant and manageable, so the mind edits the harsh reality.
Slavery, for all its cruelty, was at least familiar.
The desert requires faith, which is often harder than routine.
The Israelites left Egypt quickly. But Egypt did not leave them quickly.
I, regrettably, relate to this. When the future seems uncertain, I’m tempted to romanticize past.
I forget the weight of it. I remember only the parts that were easy.
Some things belong to history. Not because they were entirely bad, but because they were not meant to be final.
Weekly Ponder
Are we moving toward our future or are we wishing for our past in hopes that we can recapture the magic?
If everything eventually becomes the ‘good ole days,’ why not enjoy the moments that seem the toughest?
Enjoying our Content?
Onward and Upward!
