Memories and Altars

Hey, Y'all,

Back to our string on memory and our "shape" and God's hand in our design...this thought is based on an essay called "Making Memories Count: Finding God's Purposes In Remembering" by Katie Brazelton and Dee Eastman (on PurposeDrivenLife.com this past July 14). Reminded me of a quote of Ellen White's: "We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history" (LS 196).

"Try to see God's purpose in giving you a memory. God shows us repeatedly that one of the main values of memory is for us to 'remember Him.' In the Old Testament when Joshua was trying to cross the Jordan River with the children of Israel, God demonstrated his mighty power by parting the water, allowing them to pass through the river completely on dry land. However, God did not stop there.

"He then asked Joshua to build an altar with stones from the exact spot the river had been parted. The altar served as a symbol to remember the day that God 'showed up.' It worked powerfully among the Israelites and met their deepest need. These 'remembrance stones' were to be displayed forever, as a symbol of God's love, strength, and faithfulness.

"He longs for our memory to serve the same purpose. He wants us to be able to lift our eyes to Him in difficult as well as joyful times. What symbols could you place in your life that would cause your gaze to shift, so you would be reminded of the vastness of God's love for you? Is there an 'altar,' are there 'remembrance stones' in our life, or do you need to build into your daily routine these reminders that will help draw you into his presence?

"Open your heart to the power of past memories. It may sound crazy that God can use sad memories to redeem the hurtful parts of our past, but it is true. In fact, we have found that even in the most painful and gut-wrenching times of our lives, God has ultimately taught us about grace in a way we would have never learned without it.

"In his book 'Telling Secrets' Frederick Buechner writes: 'The sad things that happened long ago will always remain part of who we are. But instead of being a burden of guilt, recrimination, and regret that make us constantly stumble as we go, even the saddest things can become, once we have made peace with them, a source of wisdom and strength for the journey that lies ahead.' The key here is making peace with our past.

"Of course, this takes courage, most often involving the hard work of forgiveness toward ourselves and any who have hurt us. But by doing so, we can move past the past by removing its power to hurt or hinder us and they can truly become 'a source of wisdom and strength for the journey that lies ahead.'" (Love that Buechner quote).


You've been prayed for today...