Memory Lane
Christmas and other main holidays trigger “a trip down memory lane.” Traditions from your childhood that you want to share with your kids. New traditions that you create with your family. Emotions can stir when we reminisce about old pictures of our childhood and when our kids were younger. More times than not, those nostalgic memories have layers of emotions and hope that there are more happy than sad ones.
Adults or parents wish that they could go back and experience those moments and feelings over again. That emotional trip down memory lane can also build up in us a desire, dreaming that we could fix those wrongs that went along with it.
But we cannot go back. Time keeps moving forward. We can take those moments of nostalgia and the desire to be better and use them as motivation to improve in these new seasons.
That season has passed, but this season is here; it’s now. Distractions of wanting to correct the past or farsightedness of what’s to come can hinder what season we are in right now. Take advantage of this season.
Kung Fu Panda movie quote comes to mind: Oogway: “Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, but Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.”
We are natural worriers. But the Bible, through the words of Jesus, directs us and teaches us how to handle worry. ⬇️
”So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.“
Matthew 6:31-34 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.6.31-34.NIV
The Christmas season is a time to cherish and enjoy the spirit of Giving and sharing. Again, Jesus tells us: ⬇️
”In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”“
Acts 20:35 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/act.20.35.NIV
Our three kids love the Christmas season and everything that comes with it—decorating gingerbread houses, Christmas lights, the tree, and all the treats accompanying it. My youngest has learned the “oohs and aaahs,” my oldest loves finding all the cool lights and the house that flashes with the music. My daughter has a beaming excitement for all of that and also blasts an ear ringing and loves to hear squeals of joy. Their faces are beaming with joy, and muscles tense in their arms as they take in the scenery.
We have frequented a neighborhood during the Christmas season, and they now look forward to going there every year. So much so that my oldest, who, mind you, is only seven, said I know how to get there. He had paid so much attention to the routes from previous seasons that he remembered how to get there. We need to have that kind of focus in life, that we hold on to the good. We hold onto what drives us. That we also have a steadfast heart for God.
We may not get to all the things in life. We will make mistakes along the way. But if we remember to hold onto what we have, we can focus on the here and now. We can fully appreciate the moment. We can quickly yell at our kids and say, I’m busy, or We are in a rush; we don’t have time to take a picture with the “biggest tree you have ever seen.” But that moment is now. That moment can pass by very quickly. But remember, it is only a moment.
Take that moment. What might be a moment for you could be the next core memory for your kids. Your kids are sponges; they see and hear everything you do. Even if you think no one is watching, your kids are, and they remember. They reenact. They reproduce what you are showing and teaching them.
We may think, at times, that I can act how I want. I can do whatever I want, and no one will see me.
Well, I was taking a picture of the kids, taking a moment to fulfill their desire to take a picture with “ The biggest tree they had ever seen.” One said it had to be at least “a billion 70-thousand feet tall. I mean, this thing was huge. I received a text message. It was a picture of a husband and wife taking pictures of their kids.
The picture was of us. Someone I knew was in the area and saw us taking a moment with the kids. Remember to take a moment with your kids, for your spouse, etc. Remember, during the Christmas season, people love to let their houses shine bright with lights. But there is a light that shines brighter than the brightest star. The love that Jesus has for us. Remember to let your light for him shine in everything you do.
Childhood song: This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.
-Richard
