“God in his mercy has given us a grace for this recurrent, incessant, unavoidable, daily experience of loss, and that gift is memory. Through which — if we make use of it — we can go back and drink more deeply, savor, take in the full gift of wonderful moments great and small (for the full gift can never be taken in during the moment).- John Eldredge
“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live.- Deuteronomy 4:9 (NLT)
John Eldredge concludes Chapter 11 of Get Your Life Back as he contends that all good things do not come to an end. In fact, the author stresses, it’s not even close. Thus, we need to chase down the gift of memory. Because failing to retain our precious stories of a place feels akin to losing a loved one. When either (a) the place disappears or (b) we can’t walk there any longer.
However, when we forget, our senses often trigger an awakening of remembrance and place. Suddenly, we find ourselves back, as though it were yesterday. Above all, John emphasizes such memory = a exquisite gift from God.
Furthermore, John describes forgetfulness as a spiritual pandemic that ravages humanity. And it contains dangerous and lethal repercussions. That’s why God often strikes bells to remember in both the Old and New Testaments.
In conclusion, John stresses the importance of the grace of memory:
‘ . . . this intentional use of memory is a cure for the soul’s most common diseases, that ‘what have you done for me lately?’ posture we fall into toward God. . . . Memory pulls us out by turning back to the goodness of God in our past. It allows us to savor the many gifts he has given. I’m suggesting you establish a practice of it. What are your stones of remembrance? . . . Or have they become so familiar that you don’t see them anymore?”
Today’s question: What stones of remembrance help you counter the daily experience of loss? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “God surrounds us – we swim in God”
