I am a huge believer in living life in the right tense, the present, I know I have touched on the topic in various points in my writings and it’s a consistent theme no doubt. I guess I’ve come to realize that there are huge risks to neglecting to live life where we are. Our realm of influence is small, and we lack the ability to dictate much control over even the minutest areas in our world which we deem significant. That being said, the present tense requires a proper context of history.
One universal cultural phenomenon is the creation of memorials, or things to help us remember the weighty foundations upon which our world was build. For our nation, its is our flag that memorializes our freedom, our capital buildings that memorialize the principles in which our forefathers built this country, it is walls and burial sites that memorialize the price that has been paid to protect the freedoms which were so desperately sought long ago. For the Christian faith, it is the cross that singularly memorializes the price that was paid in Christ’s redemptive work and it is creation as a whole that cries out to remember the creator. Memorials give our present tense an adequate sense of our history, a history which if we are attentive to can give us a context for which today exists, and a reminder of the faithfulness of God’s promise to us as his people (if we so choose to accept).
Memorials are like mile markers in our lives, they give us a sense of not only where we are but also how far we’ve come, and often times how far we are yet to travel. History is a GPS of sorts, in that it can help us to navigate our current circumstances much more efficiently and effectively. After all, how am I to trust in the faithfulness of Christ if I have no context for the good and patient work he is performing in my life? Relationships are built on history, they are not formed instantly, they do not bud overnight, but rather they are proven through time and trials; a relationship with Christ is no exception to this rule.
A few years ago I took some time to construct some memorials in my life, to remember all that God had done, and all that God was doing. At the time I was at a crossroads, one of those, “what’s next in life?” moments, I realized that in order to get my bearings and ready my heart for whatever it was that God was in the process of doing, I needed to look back and see his work to remind myself that he is in fact faithful but looking what he has already done. A lot of people confuse faith for certainty, when in fact I believe that doubt is a healthy component of faith, and real faith is defined by action despite our doubts and fears. At the end of the process I had a long list of times where God had come through and delivered me in the truest sense of the word; his fingerprints were all over circumstances which I could not have survived on my own and on outcomes that I never could have dreamed of, let alone hoped for.
Recently I’ve been reminded of how blessed I am, both in the context of my past and my present, God is good. Many people seek firm “proof” of the Christian faith, what better proving ground than life itself. Salvation cannot be tested in a laboratory, nor can it be worked out in the sterile environments of the hypothetical, salvation is and must be proved in our lives. As I look back and see the landscape of my life scattered with Ebenezer stones, I am humbled, blessed, and reaffirmed. While I may not understand what is happening in the present tense, my history, my memorials give me context with which to confidently place my trust in the hands of my Father above. I am blessed, simply and completely, I have been taken care of in ways I could never have fathomed.
Regardless of what you believe, it’s impossible to strip where you are today from where you’ve been. It’s worth the time to set up stones of remembrance in your life, if they don’t come in handy today, they will soon. Furthermore, if all you see in your life is despair, hopelessness, and emptiness, maybe there is an opportunity for Christ to help you literally and figuratively reconstruct somethings.
So as I look back, I eagerly approach today, hoping to build more monuments for Christ, places for all men to look, see, and know that “here is the work of the Almighty”… and while I’m certain I fall short each day, a memorial life is what I seek for Christ’s glory, and it is yet another opportunity to be rebuilt in him.
Humbly yours,
CP
http://chrispanoff.blogspot.com/
