Memories, Memories...

Memories That Appeal to Us from the Past

These are the remembrances of the good times of yesteryear. Older people have a habit of harking back to “the good ol’ days.” Incidentally, there are  even a good number of middle-aged people who are now doing the same thing, fondly recalling the earlier times of their lives. The reason is obvious: For the past five or six decades conditions of the world in many areas have steadily been getting worse. These worsening conditions prevail in  the following areas: 1) nation vs. nation, 2) domestic/marital, 3)morals and 4) the relations of various individuals and groups with one another.

Both middle-aged and senior citizens can remember when times were actually better though no period in world or American history has ever been perfect. People are not perfect, therefore conditions can never achieve that status. Even so, from this distance the days of our childhood and early adult years seem to have been better, less stressful, you might say. Maybe it stems from the penchant of humans, when looking back, to see only the good and overlook the bad. We have the need to see something better than today, whether it be the years gone by or the future yet to come with its longed-for blessings.

If we would only view the present as we view the past, we would be better off. That is, if we would emphasize the good happenings in our lives and look beyond the current mishaps and turmoil, our lot would not be so dreary. Apostle Paul advises us, “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Phi. 4.6. 

Logically, if we grow in Christ, we should be able to look back from the future on today’s happenings with gratitude and joy. But our gratitude and joy should arise primarily from the knowledge that we have grown in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. Just as today we can review the record of our many yesterdays and thank God for His goodness then and especially for what He is doing for us and to us and in us today.

If we follow close after our Lord, we will never have to long for the good ol’ days as far as our own walk with Christ is concerned. We may long for the experiences the Church knew back in former times; the visible church  may experience backsliding in this or that area, yet individually we should always be advanced beyond the limited sphere of yesterday. And as we individually walk with Christ we will continually be making good memories for the future. They will be memories on which we can later look back with gratitude and joy – for the good times of yesterday and more especially for the good times we will know at that moment. With the followers of Christ the present is always better than the past.

Continue to walk with the Master and all your tomorrows will continue to shine brighter and brighter until you arrive at the Perfect Day that will eclipse all memories of the past.

Memories That Shape Us

What makes a person who he or she is? I am not an expert in the field, but we all have our own thoughts about most subjects. They may be well-founded opinions or just a hunch on this or that. Some of us will die clutching an erroneous idea that is based on no more than tradition, folklore or on what “they say” – you name it.

I am not clinging tightly to shaky beliefs. The statements I am making in this blog are NOT chiseled into a rock where they will withstand all scrutiny, unchangeable for all time. It is thought-provoking, though, that our memory has a great deal to do with who we are. A person who has full-blown amnesia has no clue as to who he is. He doesn’t know what he thinks on certain topics, he knows no one, he doesn’t even know if he has committed some dastardly act like murder or rape. He is devoid of a personality. When you consider it, while you are safe in the knowledge of who you are, you know the world of the amnesiac has to be a scary one. The victim of severe amnesia not only knows no one, he doesn’t even know himself. He is a complete stranger to himself. Frightening.

Let’s go a little further into this uncharted territory. Imagine that this had happened to you and you had been a child of God before you lost your memory. But now you know nothing, not even the Savior who ransomed you with His blood. If you don’t know Christ at this time of “nonpersonhood,” how can you be saved? Having lost your memory, your empirical knowledge is severely restricted. In that unfortunate state, as far as you know, you have never yielded to the Master, you have never said “I surrender all,” you have never known sweet communion with Him.

Will you have to learn about Christ again and go through months or years of deciding to yield to Him – that is, if you ever do yield? Will you, who were once saved, be cast into hell for unbelief? Now that is an unsettling thought.

But, not to worry; I’m just trying to rattle your cage a bit. It is possible that you might lose your memory, but you are, at this time, a child of God and He will let nothing harm you in an ultimate way. Hold on to the memories that have helped mold you into what and who you are. At the same time, as we have seen, you are building new memories, whether you know it or not. Your actions and your associations and your interactions with others are showing right now who you are. Above all, your relationship with Christ is the determining factor as to who you are and what you are becoming.

Don’t worry about ever losing your memory or your personality or your “you-ness.” At this point in time you are a child of God and, if you don’t deliberately relinquish that status, you will be a child of God forever.

Comments

[Judy]

This morning our pastor mentioned a man who had played a very large part in his early Christian growth. The man is now a victim of Alzheimer's, and a mutual friend described his condition as a 24-hour memory window. Every morning when the man wakes, he has no memory of the previous day. He doesn't really recognize any of his friends or family from the present, and he knows nothing of current events. BUT he knows Jesus. He's always eager to talk about Jesus with whoever comes to see him. And he is full of the joy of the Spirit. Not bitter. Not saying, Who am I? How did I get here? None of that. Just Jesus, filling his whole existence. IMHO, not a bad way to experience "decline."