December 31, 2019 marked the end of the month, the year,
and the end of a decade. For me, it has been a year of challenges, and life events and situations took their toll on me, so I did not write at all in 2019. I am determined to change that in 2020. However, in the
big picture, this has not been the worst year of my life. Several of
my friends have faced major losses, including death or estrangement of family members, employment, or their health as they
previously experienced it.
As each year passes, (66 in a few days), I find myself a little more
forgetful of names, details, and sometimes, even what day it is. I can recall
every teacher I had in elementary school (1960-1966), but I can’t remember what
I ate yesterday! Daily there are television and online ads promoting vitamins
and supplements and health tips to improve memory and brain function. (I would
include the links to these, but I forget where they are.). 😊
So, as I write this New Year blog entry, I wonder….
What do I need to forget, and What will I
remember?
Unfortunately, there are many events, hurts, and
even people from my life I wish I could forget. Somehow, my neuropathways seem to be
determined to hang on to those negatives instead of letting me move past them.
Believe me, I have tried. I do well for a while, and then, WHAM! Something or
someone triggers my memory, and I am back in the original time or place of pain
or sadness or rejection or other negative emotion. I have made progress, but I still
struggle. I am learning that the key to this struggle is my choice. I
have the choice to decide what my focus will be. I can’t change the past, so why
do I keep giving it power over me?
Forget
does
not mean pretending something did not happen or ignoring the realities of the past.
It means I do not need to keep reliving it. Isaiah
43:18 says it this way. “Forget
the former things, and do not dwell on the past.
Remember means
to bring to my conscious memory what really matters. The older I get, the more
I struggle with remembering what really matters. So I need to make room for the
new and more important things so I can remember them.
Each year,
I try to find a Scripture that will be my guide for the next 365 days of life. I
do not make a list of resolutions, because I know my track record with that.
This year, I am going to try to embrace the words Forget and
Remember. This new year of 2020, I choose Philippians 3:13-14 as my focus.
It says this:
13 “No, dear
brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on [remembering]
this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies
ahead, 14 I press on
to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God,
through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
So, this new year of 2020, I will choose to Forget
those who have hurt me, spitefully used me, and tried to discourage me from being who
God created me to be. I will choose to Remember the
grace, mercy, and forgiveness that Christ provides me. Will you join me?
