The past is always better. It just got messed up along the way. If this or that would not have happened, then everything would be okay. I got a bad deal. [REPEAT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE]
This is the Uncle Rico Syndrome. It freezes us to a moment past, and hinders us from movement. Maybe life just happened. Maybe we messed up. Maybe someone else made the wrong decision. Coach did not put us in the game; now we are selling plastic bowls and not playing in the NFL. If you’ve got 45 seconds, then you can watch the Uncle Rico Syndrome HERE.
The past does have a bearing on both the present and, Lord willing, the future. The past should not be forgotten or ignored. It should be remembered (1 Cor 10:6; Rom 15:4).
Yes, it is possible a mistake was made. Maybe sin occurred. However, we were not created to live or lead from the past. We must live and lead in the present. As followers of Jesus, we are moving toward an eschatological reality. We are not doomed to be stuck mentally in the past and never advance. The four billion remain.
When we own the Uncle Rico Syndrome, we walk in a miserable state. It robs us of joy, hinders gospel advancement, and interferes with our abilities as Kingdom stewards.
Remember the past. Repent, if necessary. Learn from the past. Move.
We have a Good Shepherd who leads us in the present (Ps 23:1-2), sanctifies us in the present (Lev 20:8), comforts us in the present (2 Cor 7:6) and has gone to prepare a place for us (John 14:3)–this is more wonderful than winning the state championship game!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G46dm8NLRrg
Pingback: Missiologically ThinkingKelvin Syndrome - Missiologically Thinking
Pingback: Missiologically ThinkingYour Best History Tomorrow Syndrome - Missiologically Thinking