Examine Your Past to Exceed: Cherishing and Composing Your Fondest Memories (Part 2 of 2)  

Sunday, July 18, 2010

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” -Thornton Wilder

The taste of  baked cookies out of the oven. The smell of freshly cut grass. The sound of joyful laughter from your friends. The beautiful, radiant colors beaming across the sky during a sunset. The feel of sand between your toes on warm summer day at the beach. These are the moments were we feel truly alive but so often take for granted. Every sensory detail we take in is a gift from God.  It is when we stop and appreciate the small things that the world God laid out for us becomes real. We catch glimpses of glory; shadows of what life was meant to be before the curse of sin and death. Life was meant to be celebrated, cherished, and cared for.Our culture teaches us that we never have enough, but God instead wants us to realize what we already have. Peace only comes from finding contentment in God and what He provides for us. Without contentment we find ourselves wrestling with bitterness, greed, and jealously that’s poison to our souls. Before we can truly appreciate the here and now, we must take a step back and look at how much God has blessed us throughout our lives.

Our lives are full of achievements that result in a variety of commendations. We have graduation ceremonies, birthday parties, weddings, anniversary parties, and retirement celebrations throughout the course of our lives. Each recognizes a different step in life in which we accomplish academic goals, reach a milestone for our lives, or find the love of our life. Each step of the way, God is carefully weaving the fabric of our lives to make us the person He wants us to become. He wants us to delight in these moments, remembering His good gifts to us.  “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:19- 20) By giving thanks for what God has done in our lives it reminds us of God’s part provision and protection. It is so easy to lose sight of this. This is why God instructed the Israelites to establish certain holidays and celebrate them annually. He didn’t want them to forget all that He had done throughout their lives. “And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever. When you enter the land which the LORD will give you, as He has promised, you shall observe this rite.” (Exodus 12:24-25) This rite that God is referring to here is the Passover; when God delivered his people from Egypt. This is just one of many examples in the Bible of God telling His people to remember all He had done and provided for them.

There are many ways in which we can reflect and remember God’s goodness in our lives. Holidays, which we celebrate every year, are a good example. Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for all God has given us. Christmas is a time to celebrate God’s gift of the birth of His Son. Easter was put in place to reflect and rejoice in God giving us His Son for our sins and the gift of eternal life because of His victory our death. We have weekly reminders during our church services with worship and communion. On a more personal level, we collect picture albums, take home videos, or hold on to mementos of things that have meaning and value to us. Spiritual walk journals or prayer journals are another good way in which to look back and see how much we’ve grown in our walk with Christ. There is no right or wrong way in celebrating and remembering on God’s provision and grace in our lives; the important thing to remember is to remember!

When looking back at all our fondest memories and moments it’s important to not let pride in our way.  Pride so often times blinds us making the lie that we’re mainly responsible for getting ourselves where we are today appealing. As the Proverb goes: “Pride goes before destruction,  a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18) When we come face to face with the truth, we need to realize that without God nothing is possible. He is the one responsible for giving us life in the first place and He sustains us every moment of our lives. It’s not necessary wrong to take delight in our accomplishments and goals achieved. It’s when we push God out of the picture and stop thanking Him for what’s He’s given us that pride becomes a much larger issue.  This being said, the one thing we can always boast in proudly is what we have in Jesus Christ. “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14) It is because of the cross that we have been given new life, a life that has no end, and this is one past event that we need to celebrate in constantly throughout every day of our lives. May we never grow weary of the victory we have in Jesus Christ!

When it comes down to it there are two kinds of people: whiners and worshipers. Each of us makes a daily choice to either be thankful or unthankful about our lives. We either recognize a blessing or we overlook it. It’s a decision we all make. It’s a difference that can be clearly seen. Ingratitude reveals a proud heart. As Nancy Leigh Demoss wrote: “Pride is the father of ingratitude and the silent killer of gratitude.” When pride gets in the way, he feel a sense of entitlement. We think we deserve so much and that God is here to meet our needs. We forget that God owes us nothing and we are the ones who owe Him everything we have. Despite this, He has given us everything by offering his Son to die for our sins and giving us life, a life full of His blessings, grace, goodness, and love. Most of our failures and sins that plague us can be traced back to the persistent root of bitterness and ingratitude towards what God has already given us. It is when we choose to worship and thank God for all He has provided that our hearts become full. It is God “..who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (1 Timothy 6:17) So ask yourself this: What does any of us have that we haven’t received?

Want more reasons to be grateful for all God has given you? Consider some of these facts about how blessed we are:

• If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death you’re very fortunate. Over three billon people can’t.
• If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, and a roof over your head you’re richer than 75 percent of the world.
• If you have money in the bank and in your wallet you’re part of the top 8 percent of the world’s wealthy.
• If you woke up this morning feeling more healthy than ill, you’re more fortunate than the million who wouldn’t survive this week.

Celebrating thanksgiving every day is a very powerful practice. When we remind ourselves of God’s past provision and protection it brings us hope for the uncertainty of our future. The apostle Paul learned to be content in all circumstances when we was faced with possible death in prison: “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.” (Philippians 4:11-12) Our perspective often dictates the course of our lives. We can choose to view life is bitterness or see our circumstances through God’s eyes. As we can already see we are already blessed immensely more than most people here on earth by just living in the United States, having food to eat, or simply having our health. Stop focusing on your circumstances and problems–focus on God and choose to praise Him!

Not every moment in life is going to bring us joy and pleasure. Pain is inevitable and a necessary part of life. It is imperative that we still take time to thank God for the moments and circumstances that we’ve gone thought that were difficult and painful. Hillsong’s Desert Song was written to express this train of thought: “All of my life, In every season, You are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship.”  As I stated in further detail in the previous blog “Fearlessly Failing Forward” every single moment of our lives has a purpose and God uses every hurt, disappointment, failure, and pain to further develop, mold, and create us to the person we are meant to become. God is God no matter what we go through and He deserves to be praised regardless. Sometimes we are put through difficult situations just we see what our reaction will be to it. Do we whine and complain that everything isn’t going our way, or do we instead praise God for who He is and trust it the fact that He is in control. These daily choices will greatly affect the course of our lives. Choose to thank God not only for all of the good memories but also the difficult ones, your heart will draw closer to Him in ways you never thought possible!

Every moment past and present is made for worshipping. With every breath praise God for His provision and provisions. Stop and celebrate the people He’s put in your life. Recall and remember all the wonderful opportunities and moments He’s given you. Delight in all He’s accomplished though you every step of your life. Never forget all the times He was there giving you His strength, power, and guidance to overcome the odds and fight adversity. Thank Him for giving you another day to worship Him and reflect upon His glory. Steven Curtis Chapman captured this joyous outburst with these lyrics:  “This is a moment made for worshipping, Cause this is a moment I’m alive, And this is a moment I was made to sing, A song of living sacrifice, For every moment that I live and breathe, This is a moment made for worshipping.“ When our lives are through, may they become a collages of celebration and commendation towards our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ each pointing towards bringing Him all the glory and honor. What a beautiful sight it is to behold!

**With the start of next week’s blog, we’ll begin a long look into living our lives to the fullest in the series: Enriching Your Life to the Extraordinary. There are seven principles that we will look at; five in this series and the other two we’ll go over down the road in the fall. Next week we’ll look at the first principle: Awaken to Amaze, which is on application of our faith. It’s also on living a life of action and the basis on the second half of the my slogan “Live the Truth.”  I look forward to the incredible messages God has in store for this series! May God bless you through them! **

Sources:

Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Choosing Gratitude. Moody Publishers: Chicago, IL, 2009.

Don Cousins, Unexplainable. David C. Cook Distribution: Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2009.