Memories

 

Photo by Katie Moum on Unsplash

I was looking for a "Memory Lane" sign, but ran across this Katie Moum photograph and thought it would be a great lead to a discussion of memories. They do become foggy when we look back upon them. If you take four people who spent several years together, sit them down to write their memories, you will end up with four different viewpoints even though the request was expected to return similar experiences.

Beloved Husband and I have been married for sixty-two years this coming May - but we don't have the same memories. My interests include genealogy. I can assure you, what I find isn't trusted by another researcher without a good citation of source and clarification how what I found fits into the story. He isn't interested at all, so our memories of our parents, grandparents and extended family is not the same.

My memory bank (what there is left of it) is better at older memories than what I was doing before I sat down at this computer. Thus the view up this road matches more my view of my day. There will be fog banks along the way. Other people would be able to see this road much more clearly - and our memories would not match.

So what scriptures would run across my mind after thinking: My memories are my own. When I'm gone, no one will have access to what I know, when I knew it, and what I did with the knowledge I acquired?

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13 KJV)

John, Peter's brother, wrote that. almost a shortened version of his introduction at the first of this letter:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. (1 John 1:1-4 KJV)

Luke opened Acts with:

The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. (Acts 1:1-4 KJV)

John wrote in first person, Luke usually didn't. Every once in a while in Acts he uses "we" but most of the book is written as heard from someone else. He wrote about what he heard and believed. The rest of the New Testament was written by people who walked with Jesus, heard His words, had memories of interacting with Him, and wrote those memories down when inspisred by God. Not dictated by God, but inspired by Him. The words used are important today, too. They had meaning when used, had meaning when translated, have been compared for centuries, and mean the same today as they did then.

I believe that, and 1 John 5:13 is the same reason I write this blog. No, I do not believe God inspires the actual words here, but I do believe he inspired me through the Apostle's writings to share scripture and what it means to me. 

There are two immediate results of your reading this - a lack of interest and it doesn't cross your mind again; or a bit of interest and you think about what is written. After that, the possibilites divide exponentialy. Some paths lead to learing more, others run off into dead ends - but all are in memory. One memory that we do share that may lead to:

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:11 KJV)