History is often spoken of romantically, almost as if a first love.  When we look back, we talk about times past as if there were no troubles, no reason for the present because there was nothing like the past nor will there ever be.  And though it certainly serves as a foundation for understanding, it is just that— a foundation.  In terms of race, it is the history of our interactions across cultures that ensures that we remain in conflict, unable to come to an agreement as to how we are to interact in the present and future.  We must give the present a chance to introduce it’s self and then we must see the present for what it is and the future for what it can be. 

History is not coming back no matter our attempts to repeat it in the present.  In our continuing to see the past, we are cheating on our time.  It certainly provides a lens but perhaps we should only use it as a ruler to gauge the distance that we have traveled, to measure our accomplishments.  “Those were the good old days,” we say.  But, what of the new days?  And if we were supposed to be married to a particular time period then, it wouldn’t change.  There would not be a present or a future.  There would be no need for clocks, calendars or seasons if we would only reference and give reverence to times past. 

We live as if our time on earth is arranged, as if we have no say in the time that we will live with.  But, our commitment to history is in knowledge only.  We don’t learn it to relive it or live with it as if present for the rest of our lives.  We can choose our time, making no vow to be faithful to what has been done in the past because our God does new things.

Besides, we can’t run while holding the hand of history.  In this race- less life, there are some things that we will have to let go of.  And in honor of the past, we must not hold on to time as if it owes us something.  Let it pass.  We must run for tomorrow not to somehow improve upon the past but because it is waiting for us.  It is waiting for us to catch up because we’ve been looking back for far too long.