Bad Memory is Good Memory

“For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.” (Ec 5:20 AV)

Poor memory is not always a bad thing.  I can attest to that.  Solomon, in his wisdom, is making an argument that life without God is a vain pursuit.  Every interest mankind has is brought to the natural conclusion of itself.  Whether it be health, wealth, relationships, stature, or knowledge, all come to an end without any eternal value.  Life itself is vain.  And this is true.  The question then arises, if all is vain, then the troubles of life will seem all that much worse.  And if there is an eternity, the troubles of this life will only carry on to the next.  So, what is the point?  This is a false assertion.  Salomon answers this challenge above.  The context is a life of travail.  Not life in general.  The wise sage shares the ultimate hope for the human experience.  If God is our center, then even the worst of days will be forgotten.  And I can attest to this!

Having suffered three concussions and a hereditary disease of the cerebral circulatory system, memory is not my friend. The first concussion I suffered was as a four-year-old in a car accident.  The second was while ice skating.  The third, running into a parked car with my bicycle.  This has led to a life of poor memory.  Yet, God is good to me.  He has worked my brain so the bad memories are only remembered as factual if remembered at all, and the emotions felt during those times are not.  I have seen a suicide, was beaten in a park, was bullied severely in school, and moved in my senior year of High School.  I have been held up and gunpoint, had my life threatened two other times with firearms and was threatened physical harm if I showed up to preach.  I have been at the bedside of people who have passed off into eternity, had my character maligned over a five-state radio program, and had more than one difficult church business meeting.  I have been threatened, insulted, demeaned, and ridiculed.  My life is full of traumatic events.  It is also true of every human being.  My life is not unique.  The events might be somewhat unique, but the overall experiences of life are not.  Over time, the LORD has allowed me to forget the traumatic nature of these events and only retain the fact that they happened.  Why?  Because God is my center.  Not the events of life.

If you let Him, God can and will become the Joy of your heart.  He will fill those voids and heal those wounds.  The things you didn’t think you would ever survive become but a small thing in the whole scope of life.  When your wife gets cancer and you are thrown in the middle of a whirlwind, it is God who stops the merry-go-round and comforts you that He is and was, always in control.  I remember when my brother was killed.  It seemed like every day was a dark day.  It took a while.  Now, I remember most of the details of that day, but I don’t remember how I felt.  I remember I mourned deeply for many months. I remember the dreams.  But I don’t remember how deeply I felt at his passing.  Why?  Because God is my center.  He has answered me in the joy of my heart.  The same can be true for any who will accept Him as LORD and Savior.  He will fill the void and heal the wounded heart.  God can and does this for all who call upon His name, trusting in His grace and love.