Over time, we tend to exaggerate what was good in the past as we simultaneously forget its pains and problems. The “good ole days” are often tinted by the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia that we choose to wear.

But sometimes we are wise to look back objectively and say, “Look where we’ve come from! Look at how hard things were – how much we messed things up – and yet how kind God has been to bring us to where we are today.” Because in doing so, we are more able to see God’s grace in our lives.

Deborah’s song vividly recalls the hardest times in Judges 5:6–8: deserted main roads and villages, travelers afraid to be seen. War followed. Surely all the Israelites remembered the strain and trials.

We can do the same. When the past comes to mind and the pain comes with it, we can praise God for the fact that we’re not there anymore. How did He give comfort and peace? Who did He provide to walk through those times together? How can we praise Him today for yesterday’s troubles? Or if we are still in that season, we can praise God that He has not abandoned us along the way.

How can you see God’s hand in your past, even in the most difficult times? How can you rejoice in Him for that today?