05/31/2026
Word for Today: Hiraeth
If you have never heard of the word 'hiraeth', then you are not alone. I had never heard of that word until this past week when it showed up on one of my desktop calendars. Missy buys me a couple of calendars every Christmas to feed my love of trivia, and in this case, vocabulary. Ironically, as a child I actually hated vocabulary. I still don't read a whole lot, but I have fallen in love with the art of communication and the power of words to shape a narrative.
'Hiraeth', as I recently learned, is a Welsh word and is the ultimate expression of homesickness. It captures a deep and sad yearning to return to a home, time, or person which is no longer possible. Personally, this one hits close to home, as I have recently made decisions from which there is no turning back. But in reality, this cuts much deeper. Time, as they say, waits for no man. And I would be lying if I said there aren't moments that I reflect on my past, wishing to relive special memories with special people who are no longer with me.
Our memories are powerful and the things we have experienced in our past have great power to impact our present. On the positive side, those memories can serve as powerful catalysts for change in our lives. On the negative side, those memories can serve as barriers to our future as we long for the days of our past. There is nothing wrong with reflecting on the past. But when you let your past be the rudder for your emotions, then you are living in a dangerous place. That is the trap of hiraeth. It causes you to value your past more than your present and your future.
Perhaps that is why Israel wanted to go back to Egypt after they were miraculously set free from slavery. It makes no sense to us on this side of history. But realize that Israel had spent 400 years living in Egypt. They had been born there. They raised their families there. They buried their loved ones there. In spite of the hardships they longed to go back to what was familiar and what felt like home. They allowed their nostalgia of the past to cloud their vision for the future. And as a result, most were unable to see past the giants that stood between them and their inheritance.
In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul said "one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." You cannot move toward your future while you remain fixated on your past. It's like trying to get to a destination while running backwards. Proverbs 4:25 says "Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.
Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." There is great hope for your future. Don't let hiraeth cloud your vision. Choose to look past the giants that stand in your way and trust God for your tomorrow. Run your race in life and finish strong. Your past may have been good, but the best still lies in front of you.
"Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert."
Isaiah 43:18-19
Mike Barth
Ministry Leader
