I finally got it all together

Don Kuehle, United Methodist, Retired

I have a sign on my desk that reads: “I finally got it all together; now I can’t remember where I put it!” Seems to be the story of my life. And I’m not alone; we all have trouble remembering. As an unknown poet put it:

“Always remember to forget the things that made you sad;

But never forget to remember the things that made you glad!

Always remember to forget the troubles that passed your way;

But never forget to remember the blessings of each day!”

ALWAYS REMEMBER TO FORGET! There are a lot of things in this life that are better forgotten! Our lives would be much happier and more peaceful if we remembered to forget. Life is too short to re-live those things that have caused us sadness, as well as those things that have troubled us in the past.

What happened in our past is now behind us! God has locked the door to Yesterday; we are powerless to open it. We would do well to accept our past, to accept our successes and our failures. People have hurt us; we have hurt them. People have failed us; we have failed others. We have suffered loss and pain; we, in turn, have caused others suffering and grief. God has wisely closed the door to our Past; God has forgiven our sins and mistakes, just as He has forgiven the sins and mistakes of the people around us. We would be wise to forgive, and try to forget!

NEVER FORGET TO REMEMBER! Many things in life should be remembered. We choose the things we will remember. All of our memories, from the moment of our birth to the moment of our death, are recorded in our mind’s “memory-bank.” All these memory-tapes are stored on the shelves of our memory. As we think back through our past, we are the one who selects the “tape” we will remember, re-play. So, let’s be kind to ourselvles; let’s choose to re-play, remember, the blessings we’ve received!

The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us to “Remember your Creator” – above all else. Let’s not forget that God had given us life, and has blessed us with riches in abundance.

Others have written about “remembering” and “forgetting” – Charles Aide writes: “I sit beside my lonely fire and pray for wisdom yet; For calmness to remember and the courage to forget.” It was Christina Rossetti who penned these words: “Remember me when I am gone away; Gone far away into the silent land. Better by far you should forget and smile; Than that you should remember and be sad.” James Montgomery reminds us: “Bliss in possessions will not last; Remembered joys are never past. At once the fountain, stream, and sea; They were, they are, they yet shall be.” And these wise words of Robert Tristam Coffin: “A man should choose with careful eye the things he’d be remembered by.”

As we remember the good times in our past, our present becomes more livable. We cannot change our past; we can change our future! As we remember the good things from our yesterdays, we are encouraged to create good memories for our tomorrows. Let’s put the past to rest! Let’s live today to the fullest! Let’s trust God for our tomorrow!