Be Present

Don't let the past consume you.

9/12/20262 min read

We have memorials set up to remember those who died, whether it was through natural causes or tragic events. If it’s on a grand scale, then the nation will establish a national holiday so that the nation will always remember the fallen.

We come up with different ways to commemorate our heroes and loved ones, and do rituals to acknowledge our thankfulness for their love and sacrifice. In addition, it gives us a way to show our deep respect.

Perhaps we need to stop and ask ourselves, are we doing this for them or for ourselves? Are commemorations a way of dealing with grief? Or are they an empty ritual that we mindlessly do every year? Do they give us a chance to pour out our hearts as we mourn our significant loss? Or does it bring to mind those who’ve gone before us and cause us to reflect on their humanitarian efforts, heroic feats, or love for the people of this nation?

Whatever reason we have for why we memorialize events or people, it doesn’t have to become a mindless ritual or an obsession. If it’s an unemotional custom, then maybe we need to re-evaluate the reason we even go through the motions. On the flip side, if it’s all we think about, it may have us living in the past. If we become so focused on what was, we miss out on what is and what is to come.

God wants us to keep moving onward. He wants us to impact the here and now. If we get stuck in the past, we miss the moments in the present to change our future. If we are looking back, our future will continue to be dominated by the past.

It is okay to mourn the loss of loved ones and fallen heroes. But then we need to live each day for God. If we capitalize on the opportunities that come to us daily, we can touch the hearts of many and help them start a better tomorrow.

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Luke 22:19-20

“This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.” Exodus 12:14

“These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews—nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants.” Esther 9:28