You ever think about what you remember? I do. And sometimes I wonder about the things that I don’t remember, and why.
I started down this path thinking back to a time before I professed a belief in Jesus, back when I used to actually verbally argue in a public forum against the “logic” of believing in Jesus. I don’t know how important it is for us to remember what it was like for us as people in the world before we believed, but it can’t be worthless. Regardless though, it got me thinking…
Time goes by, sometimes a lot of time, but the things we remember, what we remember of them, we remember like yesterday. Why is that? Is there some kind of timeless quality to our memories?
We truly are the sum of our experiences in life, and we carry those experiences with us as memories. They define us as people. They define our character. In this way, they are not our past; they are our present and our future. In this sense, they are timeless. The only other thing I know that is timeless is God. After all, He is the creator of time, therefore He must be above it. So perhaps, in our minds, in the mysterious place where we carry the things that we know, from experience, we come closest to God. Perhaps it is in the self-reflection that comes only with memories that we can experience to the fullest our relationship with God.
And then there are the things that we forget. We “forget” something for the longest time, then suddenly there it is floating out there in front of us, overshadowing every other part of our days and thoughts, like a ghost appearing out of nothingness. And yet it is not a ghost, it is a reality, our reality, and we know it has shaped us, and we know it will continue to shape us. But where was it for all of that time, why now does it come back to us.
I started down this path thinking back to a time before I professed a belief in Jesus, back when I used to actually verbally argue in a public forum against the “logic” of believing in Jesus. I don’t know how important it is for us to remember what it was like for us as people in the world before we believed, but it can’t be worthless. Regardless though, it got me thinking…
Time goes by, sometimes a lot of time, but the things we remember, what we remember of them, we remember like yesterday. Why is that? Is there some kind of timeless quality to our memories?
We truly are the sum of our experiences in life, and we carry those experiences with us as memories. They define us as people. They define our character. In this way, they are not our past; they are our present and our future. In this sense, they are timeless. The only other thing I know that is timeless is God. After all, He is the creator of time, therefore He must be above it. So perhaps, in our minds, in the mysterious place where we carry the things that we know, from experience, we come closest to God. Perhaps it is in the self-reflection that comes only with memories that we can experience to the fullest our relationship with God.
And then there are the things that we forget. We “forget” something for the longest time, then suddenly there it is floating out there in front of us, overshadowing every other part of our days and thoughts, like a ghost appearing out of nothingness. And yet it is not a ghost, it is a reality, our reality, and we know it has shaped us, and we know it will continue to shape us. But where was it for all of that time, why now does it come back to us.
And what about the things we never forget, from the moment they happen until we die? And what about the things we will never remember? Did we even actually experience something if we have no memory of it? Maybe we are protectiong ourselves from who we are by not remembering. Or maybe we simply can't remember.
Some are tortured by their memories, bringing to bear guilt, regret, remorse, sadness, and sometimes driving people to drastic actions. But for most, these symptoms take a much more mild and molding direction. We all would like to think that we become better people as a result of the lives we have lived, but then again, so easily we forget, only to remember again, too late to prevent the formation of yet another bridling memory, nearly identical to one that we'd already like to forget.
I wonder if the soul might actually be the sum of our memories. When we stand before the judgement seat as someone whose life on Earth has come to an end, what more can we possibly be than the sum of our memories. One thing I know for certain, who we are, we shall be before God…
…but Praise God there is that one guy who came and took the punishment that belongs to us for who we are upon himself. Thank God for his Son, and Jesus’ willingness to do what he did for us.
Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Some are tortured by their memories, bringing to bear guilt, regret, remorse, sadness, and sometimes driving people to drastic actions. But for most, these symptoms take a much more mild and molding direction. We all would like to think that we become better people as a result of the lives we have lived, but then again, so easily we forget, only to remember again, too late to prevent the formation of yet another bridling memory, nearly identical to one that we'd already like to forget.
I wonder if the soul might actually be the sum of our memories. When we stand before the judgement seat as someone whose life on Earth has come to an end, what more can we possibly be than the sum of our memories. One thing I know for certain, who we are, we shall be before God…
…but Praise God there is that one guy who came and took the punishment that belongs to us for who we are upon himself. Thank God for his Son, and Jesus’ willingness to do what he did for us.
Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
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