Bend-A-Knee

 November 5, 2026

     Memories are a precious commodity. The memory of a past event is something that no one can steal from you other than “father time.” The problem with memories is that they can revolve around either good or bad things. Unfortunately, we seem to dwell on negative experiences rather than positive ones. Why is it that a hundred complements can be canceled out by one negative statement? Underneath our composed exterior lies our insecurities that are brought to the surface when someone reminds us that we are not perfect shining the light on our failures. Botched relationships seem to take precedent over good and healthy ones. The easiest excuse is to keep blaming the present on something that happened possibly decades ago. Please don’t misunderstand my thoughts as being callous or heartless. Certainly, past experiences have the capability of keeping us in bondage for a long time. Some horrific events are never forgotten and seem to reign over us making it difficult to move forward.

     Our heavenly Father’s heart breaks over the bondage that incapacitates us. He does not erase negative past memories but allows them to serve as opportunities to embrace present and future positive events and encounters. Our struggles from the past should provide the best possible avenue toward clinging to what is good right now. How can we ever truly appreciate anything positive if we do not have something negative to help us realize that what we are encountering is actually good compared to what was truly bad.

     How different our lives would be if we would actually recognize with gratitude so many positives in our lives that so often are taken for granted. We seem to live with the desire for something bigger, better, or greater in some way. This perspective constantly keeps us from experiencing gratefulness for our present blessings.

     Today as you consider pausing at noon to Bend-A-Knee in prayer, may you take stock of the blessings in your life. Capture them as a snapshot that can be revisited every time you seem to wander back into the imprisonment of negativity. Satan loves nothing more than for us to dwell in the land of pain and suffering from our past. May we never forget as we look back and are reminded of God’s faithfulness in the past that His faithfulness in the past makes Him trustworthy for the future. Cling to that reality and allow Him to sustain you through every time in your life.

Stay connected to God & to others

God’s Peace

Pastor Mike