A picture is worth a thousand words
Last weekend we celebrated memorial day weekend here in the US. We went to the beach and had a lovely time. When a friend asked what did we (my family) do for the weekend, I showed a picture. It needed no explanation.
At the beach with my children
I love looking at pictures; they tell us stories. When I look at a picture, I remember the people, scents, what I was thinking (laugh), feelings, and emotions. Pictures are memories, and we should take many to share stories.
What is a memory?
Memory is the capacity to store and retrieve information (Zlotnik and Vansintjan, 2019). This definition incorporates how the mind is constantly changing. But memory is more than thinking back using your mental faculties. It includes pictures, journals, books, films, people, places, and anything that can bring you back to a specific time and/or place (could be a state of mind) whether consciously or unconsciously.
What triggers your good or bad memories?
A conscious memory is one that we retrieve by our efforts. We all love a good memory. But what about the unconscious bad memory? Do we want to remember bad things/times?
A trigger is a stimulus that elicits a reaction. For example, an event could be a trigger for a memory of a past experience and an accompanying state of emotional arousal.
One minute you are joyful, and the next, you are discouraged because of something you saw, heard, felt, or smelled. Memories are a part of our soul. Be intentional with what you are feeding your soul. It may play a role in triggering bad or good memories that may influence your life.
How do memories shape our lives?
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23
I have been reminiscing of late, and to my surprise, it’s been great memories. It was not always like this, I did not know how to guard my heart, and I let things that festered in and caused my memories to be contaminated.
In my last article, I wrote about honoring your mother, it reminded me of my Aunt Lucy whom we lived with during my childhood. To me, Aunt Lucy floated around like a swan in a pond, instead of walking.
She was always singing or humming a song. I never heard her cursing or saying an angry word. I loved being with her; I went everywhere with her; the church, the market, senior citizen meetings, the doctor, on trips, you name it.
Me (7 yrs old) and Aunt Lucy
I remember having devotions in the mornings with her, we would sing and take turns reading the Bible. It was more fun when my cousins would visit for summer holidays, five, six, or more of us would sit in a circle in her room discussing the Bible.
We went to an Anglican church. I can still hear the organ playing. I still remember saying the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed, we sang them back then.
Aunt Lucy had a heart for people. She would cook and package food on Saturdays, and we would take the food to people who were sick or shut in.
It was a surprise to me when I started a blog talking about God, I had not planned it. It was also a surprise to me that I got involved with my church’s food pantry, it had nothing to do with anything I was doing. During my studies in Canada, I joined a group of brilliant people (most are older) who discusses the Bible and its applications in our lives, I still do this. I know now, it is Aunt Lucy’s influence on my life. Aunt Lucy died over two decades ago.
That is the power of memories in shaping our lives.
How to make your memories work for you and not against you?
I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that You have done; I ponder the work of Your hands. Psalms 145:5.
Not everything in our past was good. But if we give it to God, He can work all things out for our good (Romans 8:28). Remember who God is, and what He has done for you. Be authentic. Share your stories with others. Create an environment that will produce good thoughts, good feelings, and actions (sometimes this is physical, other times it will be psychological). And watch God work it out, changing those triggers and memories into something good.
And they overcame and conquered him because of the blood from the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, for they did not love their life and renounce their faith even when faced with death. Revelation 12:11.