Remember the character Dory from the movie Finding Nemo? She was a lovable, ditzy fish with severe memory loss, unable to remember anything for even five seconds. A lot of the movie’s humor coalesces around her character as she swims cluelessly through the action. Though she’s one of my favorite characters, it’s clear that life without a memory is not much of a life.
That’s Paul Tripp’s point in his book Forever. Without keeping in mind what God has in store for us, it will be impossible to live the lives we’re called to. According to Tripp, believers who suffer from what he calls “eternity amnesia” are holding on to a disillusioned and miserable form of Christianity. As belief in an afterlife declines, so does our ability to live a life of robust faith now.
Are you unhappy? Make more money. Having difficulty in your marriage? Find a better spouse. Bored? Buy something. Invited to serve? You’re far too busy. These are the values of people who have little hope and no peace, of those who have only this life to live for.
If you suspect you are suffering from a case of “eternity amnesia,” take some time today to meditate on words that Jesus spoke to his disciples the night before his death: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled,” he told them. “Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am” (John 14:1-3).
(Image courtesy of Kuba BoA1/4anowski at flickr.com)
