Making Memorials by Bombi

Photo Credit: Dreamstime

My husband is an avid news reader and not just the good or happy news, it’s everything. It’s the stuff that makes me cringe and the stuff that’s hard to hear, like children being left for dead or someone suddenly killing their wife. I have a hard time thinking about certain realities and yet these types of stories are worth being told. How many times has someone been watching the news and they are able to identify a suspect? Perhaps there’s a recall on your favorite yogurt you knew nothing of until you tuned in or logged onto a news website and heard the news.

As much as I have a hard time hearing bad news, I know I’ve had my own fair share of it. If somehow you can’t relate and your entire life has been peaches and cream, then perhaps this message won’t make much sense. Maybe if you’ve experienced tragedy in the past you’ve decided to simply bury it. Maybe you’ve told yourself “No one ever needs to know. I don’t even want to know.” If this is your angle I’m curious to know how others can learn from your trials and hardships, or even mistakes? If you work so hard to forget about every negative thing you’ve endured then I’m wondering how you would even learn from them yourself?

We have history books don’t we? We have the Bible don’t we? Is and was everything in it happy and pretty? Never underestimate the value of your own life experience including the good and the bad news. I encourage you to find healing and then erect a memorial of some sort, if even in your personal journals and prayers. Even in your very own heart.

Memorial? Yes, a memorial. When we have memorials, we don’t just focus on the tragedy, we focus on the blessings that come out of it. Think of Passover, which is still observed every single year with great reverence. Think of communion, which we do often because Jesus asked us to do it in remembrance of Him (Luke 22:9, 1 Cori 11:24). Then there’s the rainbow. That rainbow preceded much death and yet remains a sign for all to remember God’s promise that He will never ever destroy the earth this way again.

So I say this to you. When you have made it through your storms in life, and when you’ve survived death of loved ones, betrayal, hardships, loss, or anything that might be categorized as negative or bad news, don’t be afraid to remember. Don’t be afraid to share your memories with a person in need of your story. I believe that it’s through your life memorials you will come to see that God was with you through the fire, the rain, the floods, and the pain. You did not drown or die. God graciously saved and spared you and healed you to be able to tell your story, and to remember.

Ladies On Life