Memories take us back to another time and place. They trigger a whole array of conflicting emotions. Sadness. Joy. Fear. Encouragement. Regret. Happiness. Anger. Satisfaction. Horror. Comfort. We go back to sit with those who went before us and to drink in how it was. Those from dysfunctional families are horrified by revisiting old memories that make old abuses present again. They have learned NOT to go there. As we get older we realize that those who shaped us, even in good ways, had flaws and foibles all their own. This information enables us to give grace and makes us want to do better for the memories we are making for those who are now in our lives. Do not glorify the past. Do not let the past destroy your present. Learn. Forgive. Let go. Commit. Move on.
Lord Jesus, may the grace that You extended to us be a spring flowing through us to others. Amen.
(You are reading from the book “The Master’s Table, by H. Lamar Smith.)
