Learn from the Past, Live in the Present, and Look Toward the Future

I have two memories of my childhood that came back to me as I was shopping yesterday with friends. My father's parents were a lot older and he was an only child so my brother and I were the only grandchildren. I used to enjoy going to their house and I have many fond memories of visiting with them. Grandma had a cupboard where she would keep toys for us to play with and one of those toys were a Brownie camera. I saw one yesterday and it held many good memories. I bought it for only $10! It is just an object, but it is tied to my childhood and included good memories.

Another fond memory is of my maternal grandma. She lived in a different state and we would visit for family vacation. In her living room she had a push pedal organ. I used to love to go in there and play hymns on it. It took a lot of effort to continue to pump in order to hear the music, but it was a lot of fun too. I have always loved music. This is another memory that is tied to family.
Memories can be a wonderful thing. Our lives continue on and move forward but God allows us to have the memories to remember things that have happened in the past.
Sometimes the memories may be sad or bittersweet but something can always be learned from them. We may learn to continue on the heritage that we have received from our ancesters or sometimes nothing other than not to repeat the past.
As christians we learn to live one day at a time thankful for what Christ has done for us in the past. I am thankful to have the memory of the day I accepted Christ as my personal Savior. I was 5 and my mom led me to the Lord in my bedroom of our home.
1 Peter 2:24
"who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed."
We then live one day at time in the present...Christ has given us life so that we can share it with family and friends and all of those we have interaction with day in and day out.
Matthew 28:19-20
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen."
By learning and remembering the past and living to the fullest in Christ in the present, then we will be able to look to the future with anticipation.
1 Thessalonians 4:14-18
" For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."