Memories

 

 

Memories...

As time rolls on and I look back at my life, there are some things I would just rather forget. Please just erase them from my memory bank Lord. Alzheimers? Or perhaps just a little dementia? Uh...no thanks.

There are so many funny things from my past that still make me giggle...or even laugh out loud like they just happened.  I want to share a few with you. Perhaps they'll make you giggle too.  I never want to forget those funny, happy times.

There's the time when I was a teenager and visiting my sister and brother-in-law in Oklahoma City. She decided that we needed to go to the "Dime" store but the only vehicle available to get there was in her husband's tank of a car with a standard transmission. She'd had a few lessons operating the car. "I think I can do it", she said. So off we went. She started the car but instead of putting it in first gear, she mistakenly put it in second. We lurched forward and the car died. She started it again and we lurched down the street one jerk at a time. Our heads were whipping back with every jerk and it would die again. Well I got tickled...no...I didn't just get tickled... I laughed hysterically! In her frustration she said, "Shut up Lanna Gail!" I really tried to stop but the laughter just took over. After we finally made it to the intersection, two men standing outside the corner store stopped and stared at the sight. It made me start laughing all over again. Sorry Barb...kinda sorry.

Or there was the time when hiking on a forest trail with my daughter and two sister-in-laws.  They decided to take a sloped, pine needle, leaf covered, "short cut" when the well-worn switch-back trail was easier. I laughed so hard hearing them slip, slide and squeal falling down through the shorter path that I peed my pants!  Maybe you had to be there...

Then there was the time we went for a July camping trip to the lake with friends. Our friends brought their fireworks from the prior holiday weekend and we allowed the boys to light them off a picnic table bench at the lake's edge. The excitement really began with the finale. That picnic bench with multiple lit fireworks toppled over toward our borrowed cabin instead of toward the lake. Whistling fire whizzed past each of us at every turn. We didn't know which way to run! And you've never heard such squeals! After the last firework fizzled, there were sighs of relief. No one was hurt and the borrowed cabin was safe. Then the laughter began with the recounting of every jump and dodge we made. Someone peed their pants... just not me this time. Such a fun time.

What are your funniest memories?

Then there are memories that crush your soul. Those are the ones I don't care to remember... some of them hurt too much to mention. So why...why do we have to remember?

Probably one of the best examples of remembering are listed in Deuteronomy, the final book of the Torah. There you find a recount of some of the things the Israelites experienced after being freed from their slavery in Egypt. As they were about to enter the land they were promised, they were urged to remember the mighty signs and wonders of their sovereign Lord.  They were reminded of the covenant made between themselves and the Lord God.  They were told to remember all they endured and to teach their children and their children's children about the one true God who had saved them and would continue to save them.

The Israelites had a lot of wonderous things to remember... from the plaques to their time in the wilderness. They were rescued, led and fed -- miraculously! They spent a lot of time crying and needlessly wondering through the wilderness when they just should have just trusted the true and living God. 

Hindsight is 20-20 right? As painful as some memories can be, we can remember past experiences and learn from them. Like the time a work incident was twisted out of context in an effort to get to get me written up or fired. Later that experience taught me to be a better supervisor and manager. Other hurtful memories teach us to be more gentle, more merciful, more forgiving with others...to be more Christ-like. That's the goal right... to be more like Christ and lead others to Him.

So for me, the difficulty lies in remembering the tough stuff and applying it in a positive way today. Some days, that's a tall order. I need to stop any crying and just trust Him! Get behind me satan! The Lord intends for us to gain His wisdom in remembering. And it's important to remember that our Lord is with us through every second of every single day. We need to acknowledge His presence before we even get out of bed each morning. What a comfort! 

Life this side of heaven is short.  Make it count for His sake.

Proverbs 3:5-7. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.  Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.

Love till next time,

Lanna

For your consideration: Exodus; Deuteronomy (especially 6:4-7);  Ephesians 4:31-32.  There are so many instances of remembering, but you can start here.