At the threshold of wrapping up 2023, a year that has had its own share of challenges and triumphs, it’s natural for our minds to wander back to the bygone days of the past. As a matter of fact, amid the uncertainty that shrouds the path of the new year, it is natural to seek solace in the comfort of the past. We want to cling to the familiar, the known, and the cherished trying to push to the back of our minds the uncertainties of our jobs, relationships, families, finances, etc.

During the few days towards the end of the year, when our minds are all relaxed away from the busy work activities, nostalgia tends to creep in and finds a way of weaving the fabric of our past into the present, and every step along that familiar route becomes a portal to memories made. At that moment, we want to re-live that amazing zip-lining experience, that beautiful evening date at the beach, that amazing scrabble game we had with a couple of friends, the beautiful evening walks we’ve had with our partners, or that great road trip!

The other day on my way to Isiolo via the Meru route, the random sight of the path to my house 4 years ago at Makutano in Meru County turned something on in my memory, and thereafter, everything along that route returned me to former times. I began remembering and reliving the moments and memories made in Meru County four years ago during my first external attachment.

I couldn’t help but spot that local pork Center I frequented, that boots plug from where I got my boots, that matatu sacco I would always use to work, or where I would pick some OTC meds once that pounding headache refused to let me rest. I ended up getting so emotional and I suddenly wished that I could go back in time. (Truth be told, my first external attachment was one of its kind, beginning from one of the greatest supervisors/mentors I have had in my career path, to the immense experience I got)

But isn’t that just how it is normally for people with photographic memories coupled with a sentimental personality like mine? When nostalgia hits home, it hits hard. A simple song playing in a matatu or a bodaboda passing by takes us back deep in time. Loved ones become the gatekeepers to a flood of emotions, and a simple sight of them can open the floodgates of cherished memories. Even a familiar scent has the power to resurrect the essence of a time that now lives only in the corridors of our memory.

However, as I pondered on this, a deeper truth emerged. It struck me that even the happiest moments of our past, the joyous memories we cherish, pale in comparison to the promises the future holds for us in Christ. The temporal nature of our earthly experiences with our families, friends, and fellow believers, like mist, are but fragments of a greater narrative that transcends our human understanding. The beauty of our journey lies not only in the cherished memories behind us but in the anticipation of a glorious future ahead. The understanding that, in Christ, our best days always and forever lie ahead becomes a guiding principle for navigating life beyond the pull of nostalgia.

Therefore, as we stand on the cusp of the unknown for the year 2024, let us not be tethered solely to the memories of yesterday. Instead, let the nostalgia we are experiencing be a compass that directs us forward, urging us to hunger for the eternal, where the future is not marked by uncertainty or the transient nature of our earthly experiences; it is anchored in the unwavering promises of God. For in Christ, the journey is not merely a reflection on what has been but an exhilarating anticipation of what is to come.