Mourning Over the Consequences

God's people willingly chose to walk a path of disobedience and the just consequences fell:  destruction of their lands and slavery to their enemies.  Included in the destruction of their lands was the destruction of the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.  It was in these circumstances that God had met them.  During the seventy years in exile, the people mourned and fasted every summer on the anniversary of the Temple's destruction.  As Zerubbabel took on the task of rebuilding, the people asked the obvious question, "Should we continue to mourn and fast?"  How long should we mourn and fast over the sins and consequences of our past?  How long does the time of rebuilding need to be a "yes, but..." time, casting a shadow on the rebuilding that God is doing in our lives?  The record of the destruction of the temple will always remain as well as the record of why.  The reality of what has happened or we have let happen in our lives will always remain.  God, however, in His rich mercy rebuilds.  He bring wholeness and newness. He wants us, just as He instructed His people, to end those times of mourning over the past. "The times of mourning you have kept...are now ended. They will become festivals of joy and celebration for God's people. So love truth and peace."  We must do this.  We must let God's forgiveness settle into festivals of joy and celebration. (Zechariah 7 and 8)