Putting our memories to work - Hebrews 8

Life is made up of everyday events that flow together to offer rich memories, some good, some not so good. In retirement thoughts of the past are often a pleasant pastime. Remembering is often how we move forward. Even bad events can offer closure, or provide hope for better times. Things that bring a smile to our face are worthy of focus, like this one: 

We moved to Owensboro in the fall of 1973, rented a house on Windsor avenue and furnished it with second/third hand furniture. One of our favorite places to browse was Peck’s Bargain Barn. The place was wonderful. As you walked through  you could see everything, anything, most of the items were literately junk. On one visit we found an old pump organ way back in the back of the store. It was faded and unrecognizable, but you could tell there was real wood underneath the rough exterior. A couple boards were warped from too much water, like it had set outside. I tried to get it to play, but no sound was there. We did not need a pump organ, but somehow we both fell in love with the possibility of bring it back to life. We resisted the urge to buy it and opted to walk away empty handed. Throughout the next week, I kept thinking about that old organ, how people once gathered around it to sing-a-long with its smooth notes and music. I could imagine, at one time, it setting in front of a small gathering of believers at a church somewhere. On our next visit to Peck’s we offered him 10 dollars for the organ, quite a price for us at the time, and to our surprise, he accepted our offer and said he would move it to a pick-up location. I had to borrow a truck to get it to Windsor avenue and also, convince a neighbor to allow me to use their garage to work on it. They seldom used the building. In those days a garage was just small building out back of the house with gravel floor and exposed studs on the interior. Most of them were leaning to one side or another and they usually had a sagging roof. This one was no exception. After I disassembled much of the organ, I cleaned the reeds, patched the bellows and attached new cords and foot peddles to find it sounded great. It took me a month or more to glue, sand and repair the walnut shell of the organ and make new doors for the front. After final sanding, staining and finishing it was ready to move into our little home. 

We both loved how it looked and played. Over the years it has served as a central location for songs from a family who should only sing in private. A couple times it was transported to the church to be used at “Old Fashion Days” celebration. It has set in our home as a stately reminder of a more simple life and to provide a memory for dreams that have come true for our family. Although it means a lot to us, neither child asked for it to be passed down to them. So, rather then give it away, it sets in our house, a product that we never needed, but none the less treasured for the aesthetic value it has offered over the years. 

Putting our memories to work can offer improvement if we approach them correctly. Gods word says many things about remembering: 

• For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:12
• Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” Hebrews 10:17

Sometime what we remembering can offer positive reinforcement for us. 

• On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Psalms 63:6
• Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, 1 Chronicles 16:12 
• Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good. Psalms 25:7 
• Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Psalms 25:6

If our memories take us to bad locations in our mind, we should remember that God loved us first. 1 John 4:19

Please use "comment" to share your memories and prayer request to help us stay connected. Jack