College of My Brightest Days?

Today was declared Outfly by my alma mater Wartburg College.  Outfly is a day without classes that is secretly chosen by the student body president and the college president.  No one knows the day when it will be, but students know that it is coming (kind of like the second coming only not near as awesome).  On the morning of Outfly a group of students dressed in underwear (or now underwear worn over sweats) runs around the college banging on doors and proclaiming "OUTFLY!  OUTFLY!"

Outfly morning is a fun, loud tradition.  You excitedly wake up before the sun and run to the victory bell so the president can officially declare Outfly.  When you show up to the bell, folks are dressed up, there's a band there and people are shouting like a day off of school in the middle of the week is the most amazing thing ever... even though they are paying the school to go to the classes that are joyfully cancelled.

Below is a photo of my from one of my four Outfly's.  I'm the guy in the sweatshirt on someone's shoulders by a guy dressed as Waldo.

During all the madness we sing the college loyalty song.  

"College of our brightest days, unto thee we chant our praise" is one of the lines in the song.

Outfly was a blast and I hope all the Wartburgers appreciated their day off, because alumni don't get one.  But as I searched for the above photo from an Outfly from my college days I realized that it isn't the "College of my brightest day."  Don't get me wrong, I loved college.  I had great roommates who are still my good friends.  I traveled the world.  Lived in close quarters to people my own age who had seemingly unlimited free time.  I ate at a buffet two or three times a day.  I got to learn from good professors. I was introduced to radio work.  I mean, college was great but I'm glad those four years weren't my brightest days.

Since college I have done so much.  I've gotten a job I love.  I've gotten married to my best friend.  I'm still friends with many of my college buddies and now are there for their weddings and births of their children.  As I scrolled through my photos I realized that today is the good 'ole days.

Sometimes we get so worked up reminiscing that we forget how great our lives are now.  Other times we get so busy planning for the great future we want to have that we forget to enjoy the great present we have now.  What I want to say is this.  Thank God for your past glories, but don't live in what the Boss called "Glory Days".  Trust God with your future, but don't put all your mental energy there.  Live in the present.  As the cheesy line says, "Yesterday is history, tomorrow's a mystery, today is a gift that's why it's called the present."  

Psalm 118:24 "Today is the day the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!"  Thank God for your past, trust Him with your future and rejoice and be glad in the present today.