Gifts From The Past Can Bless You Today

Hello Hump Day Readers! Today is not only called Hump Day but I’m a week late but I wanted to embrace Juneteenth as well. Both of these ‘Wednesday’ names got me thinking of how the past can continue to bless us today! So, here’s a few stories that you might enjoy.

First is from John Sargent, an American painter. He often was discoursed and doubtful of his abilities as an artist, even though his paintings were beloved and as soon as he painted on it was sold! He loved painting outdoor scenes and especially roses and other colorful flowers. He painted a panel of roses that rose to the top of the artistic world and critics. It was his masterpiece and when he was heading toward depression, he would look at that painting and find his grounding once again. Many wanted to buy it but he would not sell it. He said, “A long time ago I painted this and it still blesses me when I struggle.”

And the second story is about this holiday called Juneteenth! It is celebrated on June 19 to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the US. Actually, the holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on that date in 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, enslaved people were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation. However, that freedom was only in the Confederate States and not to slave-holding border states or rebel areas already under Union control. In 1865, freedmen in Texas organized the first of what became the annual celebration of “Jubilee Day” on June 19. In the ensuing decades, Juneteenth commemorations featured music, barbecues, prayer services and other activities, and as Black people migrated from Texas to other parts of the country the Juneteenth tradition spread. On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday. From the past to 2021, the gift of emancipation the blessings of being free are a joy for all of us!

Sometimes we don’t want the past to come up in our lives, but there are many times that the past brings us back to our roots, to our faith, and gives us blessings that we need now. It’s kind of like way back in Samuel’s day. In fact, that’s where the word “Ebenezer” comes from! In 1 Samuel 7:10-12 we read about God’s help and blessing:

“While Samuel was offering the sacrifice, the Philistines came within range to fight Israel. Just then God thundered, a huge thunderclap exploding among the Philistines. They panicked—mass confusion—and scattered before Israel. Israel poured out of Mizpah and gave chase, killing Philistines right and left, to a point just beyond Beth Car. Samuel took a single rock and set it upright between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer (God’s Rock of Help), saying, “This marks the place where God helped us.”

In our spiritual life, it’s important to set up milestones so you can remember where God has come through for you in the past. Maybe that means you start a journal to write down how God has blessed you. Then on those tough days, you read it and the past brings the blessing you need today. Some folks take an old shoebox and put things in it that remind you of God’s faithful provision in your life. Other’s clip memories and put it in-between the pages of their Bible, or scrapbook.

No matter how you make the memories of these milestones, the outcome is wonderful and helpful. God’s blessings are worth being remembered so that you can move forward with full confidence in God’s promises for your life.

Life can whiz by us so fast we forget the past and go full-steam into the future. When we leave the past behind, we lose a bit of the ‘corner-stone’ of life that gives us balance and hope for the future.

If you haven’t put any past-memories, blessings, cherished times with family and others, in a collection/book/online, etc. think about starting that soon. It’s fun to go back and remember those wonderful times; we need to cherish them in our hearts. So then, when those tough days assault you like the Philistines going after Israel, the faithfulness of God comes to mind and the blessing you need is right there to get you through your tough-patch. Like Samuel, you, too, can “raise your Ebenezer” which is God—our Rock today and always. Oh, and your Ebenezer will help you encourage someone else today who needs a blessing, too! AMEN.