If your mind fixates on memories, good or bad, this blog may be for you.
I won't spend much time making my point. But being able to arrest my brain from obsessing on things in the past is an important skill, one that I am just beginning to learn about. What do I fixate on, you might ask? Lately, it has been the what I call the remorse of nostalgia. Here's what I mean. For reasons I can't explain, I find myself overwhelmed with waves of nostalgia for times and experiences in the past, especially those I will never "get back." In one case it was a precious time spent traveling with a family member, whose death prevents me from going back there. In another instance it was that "perfect" vacation with someone I love. We made oh so many memories, but they are unlikely to be repeated for some reason (family responsibilities, health, or just lack of time). This is remorse for a chapter that has closed.
Of course, it means also that a new chapter has opened. As Christians, we value what the Bible tells us. And fortunately, it has a something to say about both arresting our thoughts and about looking forward. I am always intrigued by the following verse. Paul tells us to "take every thought captive" in 2nd Corinthians 12, verse 5. I see this as step one. Step one involves interacting with what God says (His Word) to pull our minds out of "the whirlpool of obsession," no matter what the subject may be. Paul elsewhere speaks of having our minds "transformed" through renewal. (Romans 12, verse 2)
So much for step one. Step two involves looking forward, and there is a lot to look forward to as Christians. This is a thought replacement exercise. We replace those sad remembrances with positive future realities. If that seems hard to grasp, let me put it like this: old thoughts bad; new ones good. Or: old thoughts out; new ones in. Take Paul as our exemplar. He said, "...one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on..." (Philippians 3, verses 13-14) Of course, he was pressing on "toward the goal for the prize of the upward call...," his heavenly calling. But we can certainly emulate him by embracing similar good thoughts. I recommend stopping to catalog the good things up ahead for you. Yes, there can bad tough stuff looming, but I'll bet we (you and I) can come up with a bunch of things on the good side of the ledger. As Paul said in Philippians 4, verse 8, "...if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." The verb "think" is in the imperative!
So there you have it: Looking back less; looking ahead more. I'm going to try doing more of that. I hope you will join me!
Blessings!
The Christian Bipole
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