It goes by a variety of names: retrospection, nostalgia, “the good ol’ days.” Why does the past often look better, brighter, and happier than the normalcy, stress, and disappointments of the present? It’s a common human tendency to look back on the days of yore. In fact, 40% of our conversations focus around stories of the past. We even talk two to three times more about our past compared to our personal future.

But is nostalgia just wishful reminiscing of days gone by, or is it something a little less innocent?

The thought really hit home when reading through the account of the Israelites’ journey to the Promised Land. For 400 years, God’s people had been brutally oppressed by the nation of Egypt (Genesis 15:13), forced to create bricks, labor in fields, and construct entire cities for Pharaoh. The Israelites cried out for deliverance, and God sent them Moses to lead them out of captivity. But once Moses arrived on the scene, things got worse. Pharaoh, unwilling to let them depart for a few days, decided his slaves needed more to do. He refused to provide straw, a key component in brickmaking, but kept the brick quota the same. The Jews frantically scoured the land to find suitable replacements, only to be beaten for failing to make enough. Broken in spirit, they lashed out at Moses and refused to listen to him (Exodus 6:9).

This was the moment God used to display his power against the Egyptian oppressors. Through a series of incredible acts of judgment, God broke Pharaoh’s pride and delivered his people from bondage. Liberated from their suffering, the Jews sang a song of deliverance at the banks of the Red Sea.

Then nostalgia set in. Only two months after the Jews were freed from slavery, they faced another obstacle: starvation in a barren desert. Suddenly, Egypt didn’t look too shabby anymore. “…[W]e sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full,” the Jews complained to Moses. “…[Y]ou have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exodus 16:3).

How often do we do the very same thing? As soon as life gets rough, we turn our thoughts to the times when that issue or obstacle wasn’t a consideration. Nostalgia, a combination of the Greek words for “return” and “suffering,” captures the longing to return to the way things were. Things were just better back then, right? Psychologists call this idealization cognitive bias, or the tendency to perceive things as better than they were. Humans often revisit the high points of a memory, while forgetting or minimizing the negative aspects associated with a past event.

According to a 2006 study from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, nostalgia is often activated as a way to find meaning or to cope with difficult current events. As the Israelites demonstrate, hard circumstances send us looking back in time to ease our current suffering. But is this the proper biblical response? Like most things, it depends.

The Israelites took the wrong path down memory lane. When faced with the possibility of starvation, they fixated on the agricultural abundance of Egypt to the exclusion of other realities. It’s understandable. Egypt did have more menu items compared to a desert wasteland, and it’s possible that the Israelites did not experience food deprivation even in captivity (Numbers 11:4-5). However, instead of crying out to God for their needs, they created a mental comparison between the life they remembered versus the current situation and found God wanting. Nostalgia led to discontentment. Similarly, we can also recall the happy moments of the past and then grow dissatisfied with the place God has us today. How easy it is to forget that each memory comes with its own blessings and curses, and that God has us in this current moment for its own important reason.

But there’s a right place for reminiscing. Asaph is an excellent example. When faced with trying circumstances, Asaph turned to the past for comfort. He writes in Psalm 77:11-14, “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples.” Asaph goes on to recount the Lord’s mighty acts in history, specifically how God parted the Red Sea and led Israel through to safety. Similarly, the writer of Hebrews encourages his readers to “recall the former days” when they had undergone persecution and challenges them to hold fast to that same confidence in the present (Hebrews 10:32). Both biblical authors draw upon events of the past to give them strength and perseverance for the current moment.

Remembering bygone eras isn’t wrong. In fact, it helps take the edge off the setbacks or unfamiliarity of the present. There are relationships we cherished, activities we enjoyed, and times when life seemed less stressful. It’s easy to mourn the loss of the ideal situations of the past, but let’s not get wrapped up in how it used to be. God’s faithfulness and blessings are in those times, but they’re also in the moment you’re living right now.

This season of life may be more difficult than other seasons, but don’t miss the unique blessings available in the present by yearning for the past. There is a place for looking behind, but that’s to be encouraged and strengthened for the journey today.