Remembering

By Pastor Paul Gauche

Today’s Word: ‘Remembering’ as in… our view of the past provides a context for hope as we move into the future.

Remembering God’s faithfulness in the past [looking back] is an integral step in nurturing a deep hope for the future [looking ahead].

The art of remembering was a powerfully spirited practice for the ancient Hebrew people. The future was out of view, unseen, unlived, unknown. On the other hand, the past was very much in view, recalled, recollected, and remembered. One could “see” with great clarity what had previously taken place, which, in turn, informed every moment going forward.

The original ‘Back to the Future.”

Today, we think back to the interesting conversations we had yesterday. We bring to mind a memorable dinner party last month. We remember moments in our past that broke us, moments we wish we could forget. We remember both the painful and the most life-giving moments and use what is helpful while letting go of what does not bring us life and more life.

The blessing of moving ahead by looking back or backing into the future reminds us that we are never alone. We remember all of our moments, gather them together, learn from them, and begin to see the shadow of the shape of the One who walks with us, beside us, deeply into our lives.

We move ahead and into the future by remembering God’s faithfulness to us in the past. We move forward by looking back at the One who says, “You can trust that I will never leave you or abandon you in the future because I’ve never left you or abandoned you in the past.”

Remembering the presence of God in all things behind us, in the past, is the first step in celebrating our hope for what is ahead of us in the future.

Thriving Reflections:

++ What are some of your strongest memories from childhood? Why do they stand out?

++ How does remembering God’s past faithfulness create confidence for moving forward?

++ How does an understanding of backing into the future help you thrive?

#100days50words

#Thriv’ëra

Paul Gauche is the Pastor of Life Transitions at Prince of Peace. His posts are part of his #100days50words project, where he blogs about a different word each week. You can follow his project on Instagram (@pgauche) or his blog, Thriving Rhythms.