"God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December"
J.M.Barrie
This post is inspired by a friend of mine, with whom I had an amazing conversation with recently. We were discussing what it means to hold on to hope and inspiration, when everything in front of you is saying otherwise. I'm sure there are so many that can relate to that season; where your challenging circumstances seem to speak way louder than the hopeful conviction that you started out with.
I've definitely been there a number of times in my own life. Those dry seasons; those sad seasons; those desperate seasons; what are they there for, and how do we find our joy and hope again in the midst of them? This is where having a good memory is invaluable.
Imagine this for a moment:You are climbing a very steep, treacherous mountain. Your hands are burning, your knuckles are bleeding. Your body aches from the strain of exertion. The sun is beating down on you full force and the height that you have climbed to is making you dizzy. You feel disoriented and way more like a worm than a mountain slayer. You can't go back down because you are way too far up now to quit, but you are really not sure if you can make it to the top, and furthermore, you can't even see the top! All you want to do is lay your head against those rough rocks and cry..... give up....... get airlifted out, maybe? Now, imagine that you turn your head away from the mountain you are climbing. You look across the scene that is laid out before you. You see mountain after mountain after mountain that you have already come over! Each one is progressively bigger and more challenging than the last one. You conquered those! You mastered those! You made it to the top! How did you forget that?
Sometimes that's what life is like. We are given some really overwhelming challenges that seem unconquerable, and it is so easy to forget how much we have overcome so far, and how blessed we really are. So many times in my life when I have faced difficult circumstances, it was the remembrance of the obstacles I've overcome that gave me the courage and stamina to keep going.
I believe we are given challenges in life to grow us, to transform us, and to make us the people God intended for us to be. I think that sometimes our challenges become progressively harder, because we are becoming stronger and need more weight added to build our "muscles" up. To be an overcomer we need thick skin and broad shoulders, and that only comes from climbing those mountains. Think of it as a promotion!
What mountains have you overcome? Have you accessed the gift of memory lately to help remind you of all you have faced and overcome? Take some time today and do that. Remember where you've come from, and let it inspire you to keep climbing the mountain you are on now. I guarantee you will find hope and encouragement in the remembering.
