Don’t Forget to Remember the Future

We most often associate memory with the past. We have all kinds of good, bad, sad, and funny memories.

To this day, I can remember sprinting from my classroom to the lunch line because it was chicken nugget day! I had to go to the bathroom, but it was no time for distractions. I was in the front of the line! As I danced my way through, I ran into one snag. The kid in front of me forgot his lunch money and needed to charge. This involved a long walk by the cashier followed by a form in triplicate in which little Johnny promised to pay back the money for his nuggets. 

The delay was too long for my full bladder! 

A pool of liquid collected around me as I paid for my lunch. I calmly walked away as if I didn’t just wet my pants and set my tray down. Then, I sprinted to my gym locker, changed into shorts, threw my clothes away, and returned to the cafeteria. Somehow no one noticed. Maybe they chose not to say anything, though it’s hard to imagine third-graders being that mature. 

At least now I have a funny memory good for blogs and parties!

Memorial day is a much different kind of remembering. It’s a day of collective remembrance in which we give thanks for the sacrifice by men and women on our behalf towards the ideals of freedom and goodness. This memory is about the past, but it is also about the future because it reminds us of who we want to be at our best. We honor the sacrifice made and hope that we can live up to the vision of the good offered.

The book of Revelation teaches us the importance of remembering the future. It tells us that despite the present evil, hurt, death, and brokenness, a future reality exists in which these will be defeated forever. We especially need this memory when we see evil destroy people’s lives, as recently happened in Buffalo, NY, and Uvalde, TX.

Remembering the future serves us in two ways:

First, it offers hope in what appears to be hopeless situations. Despite all the progress in human history, we still lack a definitive answer to the problems of evil and death. But, if a future awaits that these are conquered, then the brokenness we experience now is not the final word.

Second, remembering that the true future is one absent of evil should empower us now in the fight against that evil. Therefore, instead of disconnecting or giving up, remembering the future that is on its way fuels us to persevere in the work of presence, mercy, and prayer.

May we have the courage to remember the future!