Memory and Miracle

me in black and white

Memory and Being

History is always in the past. As such it is not; it was. The eternal now is present. Memory is a strange combination of past and present, in the way that it is based on the past, but is can defy time and bring the feeling of past moments into the present again. Pain can be revisited, although it was forgotten. It can have its hold on us. We do not remember pain, only that something was painful. But this sensation, this sadness, can overwhelm us to such an extent that we need to deal with the issues of the past again.

            Memory is, as a present tense occurrence; at the same time it is based in the past for its function. So, we have the selections: what does the memory dwell on? What do I wish to remember? For sure, there is an aspect of voluntary involvement, as well as involuntary reaction, with memory.

Paul talks often about the way we were before, and the change that occurred when we came to faith in Jesus Christ. He knows we carry the conscious memories with us; although the things he mentions about our past, is not something we are proud of. No, it is something we wish to hide and not be reminded of. He brings it up, though, because we have not let go, fully, but still linger in the depths of sin. It needs to be confronted, in order for there to be a change. Confess your sins before the Lord… if they are red as scarlet, they will be white as snow. God will make us part with them, as far as east is from the west – an idiom for eternity.

            Paul speaks more about the change and new life we have in Christ – where we have the forgiveness for sins. Forgiveness – if it blots out memories, I am not sure, but it punctures any pesky growth of bitterness. It has a cleansing effect.

            Memory is in our being, and our being is in the memory. The act of God which brings in forgiveness into this mechanism, is truly a miracle.