“That’s what the world is, after all: an endless battle of contrasting memories.’ Haruki Murakami
We all look in the memory mirror of life and see reflections of our experiences. Sometimes, especially around special days, our minds focus too much on bad memories, versus the good memories. We focus on the burdens, instead of the blessings. We focus on that which we regret, versus the resilience from happenings, hurts, and hurdles that took a long time to get over. We think of what we didn’t have back then, instead of what we do have right now.
At times, reflection of the unconscious darkness rises, attempting to block the light of our good memories and the fact that the Lord has been mighty good to us, and actually realizing He is blessing us right now! Friends, we need to be conscious of this so that we can let the good memories reign, acts as an overlay to bad memories, and change our prism so that the bad memories are only looked at as lessons in life; lessons that cause us to still see that God has been so good and that God has brought us through this and that! Yes, this takes effort!
Let me make “effort” plain! This is what we can do? Focus on the goodness of God! Purposely fill your mind with the positive and when the memory mirror tries to take you back to something, bad, bleak, and bewildering, close your eyes and call to your memories the good things. Still, even after you do that, it will be necessary to consciously make the good memories your focal point. You be the one controlling the mirror and do not let the evil one, Satan, be successful in his attempts to capitalize on bad memories, causing you to revisit them over and over and over.
There are four more things you need to do. (1) Pray that the Lord will give you the strength and the ability to see the positive and not the negative, the forgiveness of sin and not the sin that forged its way into your life, and the gifts of peace in your soul and joy in your heart, as opposed to the times of disharmony and grief. (2) Remember, old things are to be left behind as you stay committed to the climb, walking by faith, keeping your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith. (3) Fill your mind with all that you have to be thankful for when the contrasting bad memories try to take over your being. (4) Stay active, creating more good memories. Let your behavior be pleasing in the sight of the Lord.
Now, let me be transparent. What I have written to you was a prescription that the Lord put on my heart, for the memory mirror tends to be a battleground indeed during certain times of the year or when place, words, and things bring about negative emotional stimuli. I’m doing my best to apply the counsel I have given you, and do you want to know something? I’m also thinking of the good things I have experienced, the good things I am experiencing in the cycle of grace in this life, and I am thinking about the victory I can have in this life and will definitely have in the life to come. I hope this meditation does you as much good as it did for me, and that purposely, cognitively, take control of your personal memory mirror. Love you! Be blessed!
“Once again, I’ll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders.
I’ll ponder all the things you’ve accomplished, and give a long, loving look at your acts.” (Psalm 77:11-12 The Message Bible)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King