Making memories

You are probably not unlike me in that you put things away "so carefully" on occasion, and then you cannot remember where you put them when you need them.  Right?  Then there are times when you think this present thing you are engaged in will live on for eternity in your memories, but in a matter of time you have the hardest of times recalling the details of the event or activity you were engaged in.  Why is that?  Didn't the event or activity have enough "meaning" to form a "lasting" memory?  It was probably because other stuff crowded out the detail of that memory, causing it to fade into more of a vague recollection. I have to ask a question this morning:  What are the memories you are leaving in your "passage" through this earth?  We are all "passing through" on this journey into eternity - either into eternity with Jesus, or a not so enjoyable one in the presence of Satan and his host of demons.  On our "passing through" there is an opportunity to leave a legacy of sorts - memories of our "passage" which either bless and help others on this journey, or memories which are just not all that "memorable".  

Good people leave memories that bless us, but the wicked are soon forgotten. (Proverbs 10:7 ERV)

How do we leave memories which become a blessing to others in our lives?  If we want memories to live on long after we are gone, we probably need to figure this one out.  First of all, I don't think it is as much of what you "do" as much as it is what you "are".  In other words, we might stress about making memories by the actions we engage in, such as winning the biggest contract for our employer, or competing to win in a marathon, but the most memorable moments of our lives may just be when we are "being" what God calls us to be. If we are truthful here, we remember some of the moments when someone just connected with our heart in a simple gesture of love like coming to our bedside when we were scared before going to surgery and just holding our hand.  Maybe it is the moment when they just sat beside you on a crisp, clear day and took in the passage of the day enjoying the beauty of the hillsides and animal life scurrying around you.  Perhaps it is the times when you burst into song spontaneously when recounting the songs you could both remember ALL the words to!  It doesn't matter what we "do" as much as what we are "becoming" together.

Herein is the "secret" to a good life - living so as to form those relationships which really matter, then "being" on this journey as "co-walkers".  We spend so much time "doing" and so little time "becoming" that we miss the purpose of our calling - to "be" in relationship with Jesus and then to "be" in relationship with each other.  Good people leave memories that bless because they are less concerned with all the activities of life and most concerned about the relationships of life.  Some folks have a hard time understanding how I can put some things "on hold" in my life while I take time to just "be" here for my mom. If you have been a caregiver of an elderly parent, you probably know what I mean here.  Folks just don't "get" that these are the last years to be making those memories of just "being" together.  They may not be the most "thrilling"of days, but they are filled with memories which will live on in our hearts forever, aren't they?  

We are all on a journey to "becoming".  In just "being" with Jesus, we are becoming all the things he has declared us to "be" in the moment he redeemed us from our selfish pursuits of "doing" everything on our own to be "good people".  We might have thought we were "doing" a pretty good job at living as "good people" apart from Jesus, but once we actually say "yes" to Jesus' invitation to be the active center of our lives, we find all our "doing" pales in comparison to what Jesus is helping us "become".  In the "becoming" we find we are forming lasting memories which will live on.  These memories are not the type which can be displayed in trophies or photo albums, but in heart connections which have ministered deeply to the needs of those hurting all around us.  As we go about "being" the hands and feet of Jesus, we find we connect with those who need another person to just "be" with them in the struggles of life.  We don't need to have all the right words, nor the insight into their problem - we just need to "be" what God is to them - embracing arms and an understanding heart.  In that moment of connection, memories are being made.  Just sayin!