Recently my wife and I were sorting through photos old and new for a family project. Once upon a time we were quite organised in our ordering and labelling, but…..we had quite a muddle to work through! Whilst we were fairly disciplined in focussing on the subject matter in question, we inevitably had quite a number of pauses for reminiscence… ‘When was that taken?’; ‘Where’s that?’; ‘How old were they then?’; ‘Oh! How sweet!’; ‘That holiday was such fun!’; ‘Just look at those fashions/shoes/hairstyles!’’, and so on.

Memories can be so precious, and reminiscing – with or without visual aids – can be hugely comforting. Of course, memories can also be painful, and these have a habit of coming to mind without the need for any record or prompting.

Over the years, we have had dealings at different levels with a number of people suffering from some form of dementia. The frustration of ‘not being able to do what we used to do’, and the increasing reliance on assistance, can be enormous. Reminiscence of more distant times past, perhaps with the help of pictures, stories, or music, can bring an increased sense of well-being and self-worth.

In the Bible, Isaiah tells us both to forget (our previous mistakes and wrong-doings) because God is doing something new for us, and to remember (the past amazing actions of our creator God). There is no contradiction here – in Ecclesiastes, Solomon tells us that there is ‘a time and a season for everything’.

The greatest thing to remember is that our loving Father God gave His son Jesus to die in our place so that we can know forgiveness and a restored relationship with Him. Reminiscing can be a route to sharing the way forward, learning from the past. ‘Forgive and forget’ is a great maxim for our ongoing relationships.

David King

Okehampton Baptist Church