Although the prophet Micah appeals to the Lord for a return to an earlier period of Israel’s history as in the days when you came from the land of Egypt, this desire is obviously something symbolic and is not a desire to literally return to some earlier period in Israel’s history of a period of greater faithfulness and a more immediate experience of God’s saving presence. Depending upon how our monastic lives have unfolded we may or may not dream of returning an earlier period of greater fervor, devotion, and closeness to God that we seem to have lost. With the passage of years we may find ourselves worn out and weary by the long journey and our jaded spirits yearning nostalgically for those earlier more fervent days. However, unless we have intentionally slackened our pace or given up the journey, any return to a time of apparently earlier fervor would almost surely be a regression rather than a recapturing of some more spiritual state of heart and mind. As with the people of Israel, the movement towards the Promised Land is one that has to leave behind those earlier more tangible experiences of God’s presence and action in our lives and to brave the painful but purifying desolation of the desert. Our progress towards the Promised Land occurs only to the degree that we cease looking back towards Egypt and keep our eyes focused on the journey forward. And if we do, our experience will eventually be that of the Prodigal Son whose lonely journey homewards ended with his Father running to meet him as he drew near to his Father’s house. Therefore, let us stir up our hearts and keep our eyes fixed on the road ahead so as to be alert to his coming to meet us and take us home.