It’s a no-brainer to say that when we expect things, we hope for and anticipate something. Without boasting even a bit, I think I can safely be dubbed the “Queen of Expectations.” The expectation gremlins popped up early in my life. I remember having glorious ideas for my birthday party or a holiday, only to grow despondent when the day didn’t match up to the rosy-hued picture I had developed in my mind.
Monthly Archives: February 2022
4 posts
Defining memory remains elusive, perhaps due to its constant employment. Memory operates unnoticed until it begins to fail (like in dementia). The human memory requires no on and off switch or manual to operate. Webster’s Dictionary defines memory by its function, to retain and recollect. Similarly, science defines memory as a cognitive system with a focus again on functions such as encoding, storing, and retaining information over periods of time. When asking a typical person to define memory, many might think of studying for tests in school or in trying to find lost car keys. These definitions all collectively focus on the functions of memory but fall short in truly defining the essence of memory. In an attempt to further define memory, here are three categories to help: a gift, a craft, and a marvel.
There’s nothing wrong with expectations in and of themselves. And it’s easy to see, when digging around in the soil of our hearts, that we have all kinds of thoughts and plans for our lives. All well and good. Expectations aren’t the problem. But when we come face to face with thwarted plans, dismantled hopes, and unanswered prayers, what then? Will we respond with gentle faith and trusting submission to God’s unfolding plans for our lives? Or will bitterness, anger, self-pity, fear, or depression emerge from the miry clay of unbelief?
This book is written for Christians who suffer knowingly or unknowingly from the heavy burdens of memory. These burdens, like bitterness or shame, afflict you with seemingly endless reverberations in your thoughts. Do you ever wonder if the vicious cycle will ever end? Will the repeating loops ever be broken? Perhaps you are like me and did not recognize the influence of memory in these unrelenting miseries. This book examines memory through the prism of the gospel to find hope in the midst of misery. Through God’s redemptive plan, memory transforms from a millstone to a milestone. God removes the burdens of memory and enlivens hope in His redemption.