Memory Triggers
There are everyday things that will occasionally trigger a memory from way back in my past. I don’t always know when it’s going to happen. Sometimes it’s a good memory and sometimes it’s a sad memory. It’s a bit crazy how my food appetite has changed over the years, but it is still somewhat the same. I believe food is a major memory trigger. I can remember some of Mammie’s food smells and to this day, I can remember back 40 years or so.
I think the Lord is keenly aware of “memory triggers” because He is my Creator and He wired me this way. I think our senses are all “memory triggers”. When I experience something with my senses engaged, I’m way more likely to remember. I think the five “memory triggers” are: Smell, See, Hear, Taste & Touch. I listed these in no particular order.
The Lord instituted some festivals that were to serve as “memory triggers” for His people. The big one is the Passover. Check this out….
1 “In honor of the Lord your God, celebrate the Passover each year in the early spring, in the month of Abib, for that was the month in which the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 Your Passover sacrifice may be from either the flock or the herd, and it must be sacrificed to the Lord your God at the designated place of worship—the place he chooses for his name to be honored. 3 Eat it with bread made without yeast. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, as when you escaped from Egypt in such a hurry. Eat this bread—the bread of suffering—so that as long as you live you will remember the day you departed from Egypt. (Deuteronomy 16:1-3 NLT)
I participate in a “memory trigger” each week when our church gathers. Jesus gave His followers a memory trigger when He had the last supper with them. Jesus was having this meal to celebrate the Passover with His disciples when a bigger event was unfolding with His pending arrest, trial and execution. Check this out….
26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”
27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. (Matthew 26:26-28 NLT)
I will use all my senses to function today and some of them will take me back in time to a previous event that happened in my life. I want to remember my past because the events of my past have shaped me into the person I am today. I’m still growing and learning to become a better version of myself. Memory triggers can sometime get me back on track or back in my lane.
I come before the Lord in gratitude each morning for all that He has blessed me with. I’m really thankful for the people in my path that I didn’t like at the time, but they shaped me and molded me anyway. I’m thankful for the wonderful memories with so many family and friends.
Pressing On!
Dwayne