A Trip Down Memory Lane - Pt 2

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. (Psalm 107:1-3 ESV).

Well, let’s continue the “trip down memory lane” with the first of the principles necessary to balance our past and future. It is the principle of gratitude. Our reading encourages us to be thankful for the goodness and steadfast love of God (v. 1). In other words, history is an ever-growing reservoir of past grace where the thankfulness of our hearts can drink and drink with continual pleasure. That is what it is for, the drinking of thankfulness. And when I say past I mean five seconds ago to five thousand years ago. It is all past. Let me illustrate a bit. I may lose things, but I never want to lose sight of what God’s done for me. I never want to become like the Israelites in the Old Testament. The psalmist says, “When our ancestors were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.” (Psalm 106:7). When I’m facing “Red Sea” challenges, it’s easy to forget God’s miracles and kindnesses. Often I look at the mountain in front of me instead of at the God who stands with me. I forget His hand on me. I focus on the problems around me instead of on the God whose Spirit lives inside me. Sometimes it’s not even a mountain in front of me. It’s a little molehill that takes on gigantic proportions. When I bend down and look at it long and hard, it grows. I lose sight of the big picture of God’s love and faithfulness. This is symptomatic of the human condition. We all struggle with spiritual amnesia. Gratitude is the answer for that. When we thank God, it is impossible to take Him for granted. That means we tell our stories. We need to tell them to our children, our grandchildren, our friends. I call these “stories” talking in color. I’m often questioned about my use of stories in conversation. I must admit that a part of my propensity for story-telling is in my comfort of using them. It is what I know best. However, story-telling is also very intentional with me. Not only does it recall for me the basis of my hope and gratitude, it encourages me to anchor my dreams in the present. Perhaps you should “color” your memories more. If you do not already journal, I encourage you to start. It is a great way to allow the work of God to be evident in your daily life and color it with hope and peace.