The Upper Room 12 May 2022 Thursday Devotional | I Am Here, Not There

While straightening up a few bottles and jars on my bathroom counter one morning, I found myself lost in a memory of a bathroom in an apartment I had rented when I was young. It wasn’t a happy memory, and my mood started sinking. But then I said to myself, “I’m not there, thank God.” And the memory evaporated, to my great relief.

For a long time, I fought a losing battle with bad memories. They entered my mind like a train I couldn’t stop. Once they were there, I was caught up in a vortex, wrestling disturbing emotions, overanalyzing, and futilely trying to redo events. But lately the Lord has been showing me simple ways to give these intrusions to God.

Just saying something like, “Thank you, Jesus, that I’m here and not there,” or, “Praise you that my life is so much better now, God,” stops the memory and brings me back to the present. After so many years of struggle, I’m amazed and delighted to be able to replace the bad memories of the past with God’s refreshing love and blessings in my life today. I am reminded that the Lord has set me free (see Jn. 8:36).