Memorabilia of the Mind

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13,14 (NKJV)

I am a mental pack rat. I have stored a lot of precious memorabilia in my mind and I visit the “trunks” often. It is okay and enjoyable to visit the memories for brief moments and savor the events that brought joy and delight to me. Faces of loved ones come to mind and I smile. Conversations are replayed over and over again that brought such strength to my spirit. The warmth of faces, the power of embraces that hugged me at the core of myself, the laughter that energized me, and the exhilaration of knowing someone had put out a welcome mat for me to their own heart. It doesn’t take long to realize that relationships mean the world to me. I thrive under the ones that were established years ago and have not diminished even with the separation of many miles and years. I rejoice in new found ones that I know are God-given.

But this morning, God is showing me the boundaries that need to be established for visiting my places of past delights. While it is acceptable and good to review these parts of my life, there is a danger when my visits lead to discontentment and longings for things to be as they were. When I become unwilling to close the trunk lid and move forward into what God has for me today, then I am actually stunting my own spiritual growth. I can often remind myself of the Baldwin sisters from the television show THE WALTONS. They were never able to leave the past. Their days were built on keeping the memory of their father and former boyfriend alive. Everything in their life was tainted and limited by the need for them to stay in the past. It was tragic for them and it is tragic for us today.

God is wooing me into the present. He is instructing me to visit the past sparingly for the precious times they were, but don’t cross over into the feelings of aching and mental anguish over the fact that they are no longer present realities. Capture the gifts they were meant to be but don’t allow the attachment to stay so strong that I miss His present goodness and gifts. In all reality I must let go in order to reach forward.

Father, help me to experience the reality of what You have shared with me this morning. Help me to look forward more than I look back. Amen.