Looking Back, Moving Forward - Part 1

You’re aware of how some memories persevere for a lifetime while others fade into obscurity. A few rare memories are like sweet cream dessert, but others can be so awful we do our best to avoid them. Most of our memories include a combination of happy and sad experiences, sparking our emotions that span a range from joyful to disturbing.

When children are severely criticized and rejected, they may develop survival skills to help them reach their highest potential and yet continue to feel an emptiness that success is incapable of filling. Being disfavored leaves a child or an adult feeling impoverished, like the black sheep of the family. Yet it's possible to replace this perspective with God’s perspective.

No one makes it through life with only positive memories, but God will heal wounds we’ve acquired at every stage of life. Pain created by memories shrink as you permit God to do his work of cleansing and forgiving. You are favored by God, so deposit this reality into your memory bank. 

Remember! God Favors You - Part 1

Memories are a wonderful function of the brain. Even the most complex super computer cannot match the human brain’s memory. God intended for us to remember, so he gave us this capacity to register experiences, thoughts, and feelings. We can remember feelings like fear and anger when we can't recall the complete conversation that created the feelings.

Memories keep us on track when a promise or commitment was made to a significant person or to God. A young mother was so seriously injured in an auto accident that death seemed imminent. Hanging on to life in the ambulance, she promised God to love and serve him all her days if he would let her live.

That promise has been a memorial she returns to when troubles, trials, and temptations come to dislodge her from that promise. Another core memory that anchors her day-to-day living is the commitment she made to Christ Jesus when she accepted him as Lord and Savior as a young girl. Memories can be a powerful positive force that serve us faithfully throughout life.  

Feeling Afraid? Remember Your Faith in God - Part 2

There are unexpected moments in life when a good, positive memory is made that lasts forever. Some memories are so powerful they haunt us in ways that are uncomfortable or even disturbing. These we try to suppress, especially if they’re overlaid with guilt or shame or if they’re associated with anxiety, anger, or resentment.

Memories are stored in our brain like a savings account where they’re held in trust, ready to be examined or relived if a stimulant strong enough ignites and brings them to remembrance. God’s word declares, “All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” Sin produces bad, negative memories, but here’s the good news. When we confess our sins and repent, we are forgiven and made right with God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

When negative memories surface, confront these intruders with the fact that God dealt with them by cleansing and washing you clean through confession and forgiveness. The reality of dealing with unwanted memories from this point of view creates new memories that result in peace and joy.