Memories Attached

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

Proverbs 10:7 The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, 

but the name of the wicked will rot.

I thought this was another fun idea that I found. While posting photos of special events of the birthday party boy or girl would be fun. We are celebrating a blog birthday party. So you can attach a photo to your ballon by putting leaving a note in the comments to  tell me what blog post from the past year was your favorite, I'd love to know why it is your favorite.

Recently a friend sent me a package of photos from my high school and college years. I had very few from that time period.
So it was nice to see them again after 30 some years and remember that there were a lot of good memories among some difficult and painful memories.

I have had to over the past several years undertake a journey to remember parts of my past that I blocked and avoided thinking about. The path ways to those memories were not well traveled as a result of having blocked and avoided them for so long. So the Lord has had to help me uncover them according to his time table and plans.

I have always read  Proverb 10:7 to be talking about how others will remember you after you have departed this earth. I have been looking at it from a different angle recently. I find myself also considering that the memories of the righteous will be a blessing  - why? Because they will have forgiven and repented and put their memories away clean.
When something triggers them and they come to mind  - the memory is healed, clean. Its just a memory of what happened it no longer holds pain, shame, grief, feelings of failure....
 On the other hand the memories of the wicked will rot and that is exactly what happens to people who harbor bitterness and un-forgiveness in their hearts. It rots and becomes very ugly and chokes the life out of person. Much like weeds in a garden choke out the life of the good plants.

I don't know what stone God may turn over for you today. If he shows you some broken place filled with bitterness, anger, regrets, grief, pain, failure, un-repented sin, or un-forgiveness. Take the time to at least tell him" Lord, I don't know how to change, heal or forgive this, but I am willing to allow you to help change my heart so that I can in the near future forgive and put this memory away clean."
Sometimes we can get to the place of forgiving others but need to remember to forgive our selves.

Now one last thought about putting memories away clean. The enemy likes to bring them up again and again like playing an old video taped movie over again and again. When he tries to do that shake your journal at him and remind him that it is forgiven and under the blood of Jesus. Stand your ground and don't pick those old hurts back up and allow bitterness to begin to grow and take root again.Take the time to pull those weeds from the garden of your heart and make it a place where the Lord is welcome and glorified.

Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for helping us deal with those dark corners of our memories. Those things we'd like to forget. Forgetting does not solve the problem because they keep surfacing. Help us to clean them up and put them away in such a way that honors you. You forgave us and we must forgive like you do.
Help us to get to that place, Lord we are willing to allow you to work on this area. We give you permission to come in and clean out this closet of old memories and dreams.