THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES…

Yesterday we sold our camper.  I have been wanting to sell it for a couple of years for several reasons, but mainly because we never have time to use it anymore.  We had some really great times camping in it, and we made a lot of wonderful memories.  Even though the aggravating times were not fun at the time, now I think back to those times and smile.

I do have to give one example of those aggravating times.  When she was about 10 years old, Megan wanted to take a friend with us when we went to Branson camping one summer.  She is an only child and it was always more fun for her to have a friend with her.  One of our nephews and Megan were so close they could have been siblings, so she chose him to go with us.  One particular afternoon we were all getting ready to go to one of the shows on the main strip.  Hershel and I were ready before Megan and Cuz so we  took the dogs for a walk and got them squared away. By then the kids had brushed their teeth and were ready to go.  I am not sure which kiddo was the last one out, and it really didn’t matter, but when we got back, one of our neighbors in the camp ground came over and told us that he turned our water off outside the camper. Apparently, we had water pouring out of the bottom of the camper for a really long time.  You see, here’s what happened, Megan thought Cuz turned off the water in the bathroom sink and he thought she turned it off; however, no one turned it off.  Oh my goodness, was Hershel mad!!  We had to go to Wal-Mart and purchase a shop vac to try to get the water up.  But… Doesn’t everyone end up at Wal-Mart at least once on every vacation? Looking back at that memory, we laugh now, but at the time, not so much.

Yesterday when I saw the camper being taken away, I got really sad.  It made me realize that I have a bad habit of looking to the past or to the future and not enjoying the present.  In doing that, I miss so much.  PSALM 118:24 THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE, LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT.  Wow!  This verse steps all over my toes!  Remembering the good times, and even the not so good times, is not a bad thing to do as long as we don’t dwell there.  We live in the present and we need to be content where we are.

Just like remembering the past, we can look forward to the future, as long as we don’t settle there.  I have heard people say that the present is a gift from God and we need to enjoy it.  We are not guaranteed a single breath.  Only God knows how long we will be on this Earth and if we are only looking to the future and not the here and now, we will never be happy and satisfied with our lives.

I am not saying that it is a bad thing to plan for the future, actually the Lord tells us in JEREMIAH 29:11 “FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU” DECLARES THE LORD, “PLANS TO PROSPER YOU AND NOT TO HARM YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU HOPE AND A FUTURE.” If the Lord has plans for our future, it is good to look forward to them, as long as we do not forget to rejoice and be glad in today. We need to thank God for each and every day, even when they are not the best days.

This has been a hard concept for me in the past, because by being a Christian, I am not of this world, I am just living in it temporarily.  My home is in Heaven with my Heavenly Father.  I didn’t understand why I would rejoice in another day here on Earth, when my ultimate goal is to be in Heaven with my Father.  Then I started thinking about those memories, and the past, present, and future. Like a light bulb coming on, I realized that I am to rejoice and be glad in today and everyday because my Heavenly Father created me on this Earth to worship Him, to enjoy the blessings that He has given me, and to reach others for Him, so that they may also live and worship Him at His feet one day right along beside me.

So, with all of that being said, I say today, and will try to say every day of my life here in this world, “TODAY IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE! LET ME REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!”