Down Memory Lane
1 Chronicles 16:11-12
Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually. Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done; His marvels and the judgments from His mouth.
A few years ago, I decided to visit the house where I had grown up. I climbed the steps to that porch and knocked on the door. When I explained to the owners why I had come, they let me in. I walked into the living room with my shoes on. That was a no-no when I was growing up. I turned right into the dining room and noticed the drop ceiling that my father had hung was still in place. I moved into the kitchen and peered through the side door to the back yard. The infamous bush that had supplied my mother with switches was gone. (God answered my prayers at last—decades later!) I finally made my way upstairs to my bedroom. To my left was open floor space where my bed had been. It was there where I had knelt as a teenager and gave my life to Jesus. That was the place where my spiritual life began.
There’s something special about taking trips down memory lane. Whether it’s visiting an old home or catching up with a friend. Memories have a way of flooding back as old times are relived through laughter and tears. Have you found the same to be true in your relationship with God? One of my professors in college once said to me that the Christian life isn’t so much about learning new things about God as it is remembering the old things. Our problem is that we often forget what God has done. As days turn to months and months to years, we forget to retrace our steps of faith and remember how God provided in every circumstance.
Perhaps you need to reminisce today. Ponder the events where God brought you safely through troubled waters. Travel in your mind to that place and time where you gave your life to Jesus. When your future seems dark and discouraging, the best muscle to exercise is your memory.