Memory vs. Imagination vs. Wonder
Justin Camp
2 min read ⭑
One of my favorite things about this time of year is nostalgia. I soak in it, starting with music. I have two Spotify playlists on repeat. The first is loaded with folk/indie rock/Americana versions of my favorite Christmas classics — songs by Future of Forestry, Seabird, Beta Radio, Smalltown Poets, Chris Renzema, Josh Garrels, Folk Hymnal and others. The second has jazz versions of those same songs — tracks by Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon and Oscar Peterson.
Next are the cherished traditions of my childhood: going up into the Santa Cruz Mountains to cut down a tree at the Four Winds Christmas Tree Farm, stringing lights outside our house, watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas” — and any new Christmas shows on TV. Two nights ago, Jennifer, I and our daughter watched Hannah Waddingham’s special featuring her Ted Lasso castmates.
These things connect me to the past, and spending some time in memory feels good. But if the visit of the Ghost of Christmas Past lasts too long, the sentimentality and longing for simpler, happier times can turn a bit sad and bitter. If I linger in memory too long, it can interfere with my ability to appreciate where I am right now and all the good that’s coming. (I can also forget that “simpler, happier” is often a trick of memory — as time passes, it’s easy to recall the good and forget the difficult.)
It’s important, therefore, for me to connect in this season to the future as well as the past — to balance memory with imagination. It’s healthy for me to dream, plan and explore hope. I’ve learned it’s good for me to begin asking myself around now what I’m hoping for next year concerning my personal life, family life and professional life. What will allow me to wake up with hope and passion? What will get me out of bed, excited for each day?
That imagining looks mostly like setting priorities around what I sense God calling me to and where I sense my heart is leading me: to things like prayer, physical activity and being outdoors, traveling and spending time with Jennifer and our soon-to-be-all-college-age children, going deeper into relationship with my closest friends and making Rapt the very best it can be under my stewardship.
But that’s not all. Memory and imagination are necessary but not sufficient. Indeed, if either the visit from the Ghosts of Christmas Past or the one from the Christmas Yet to Come lasts too long, I can become numb to wonder — the wonder of a present moment. By focusing too much on what’s been lost to the past or too much on what might be gained in the future, I inevitably miss the blessing of right now. I miss the blessing of unexpected conversations, surprising experiences, sudden realizations, extraordinary breakthroughs — new sounds and smells and tastes.
I can miss God himself because he is always present in the present.
Therefore, the trick for me is to make time this month for silence also. One of my favorite things is to steal outside in the evening and sit for a few minutes by our front door in the quiet and cold, looking at the Christmas lights and watching cars go by. Sitting still, doing nothing, allows me to see things with fresh eyes. I’m able to notice much more of what’s going on around me and stirring in my heart. I’m able to look for God, listen for the whisper of his voice, sense his gentle promptings and appreciate the blessings he’s bestowing, big and small.
I pray you can do that, too. I pray you can sense his presence today.
Justin Camp is the editor-in-chief of Rapt Interviews. He also created the WiRE for Men devotional and wrote the WiRE Series for Men. His writing has been featured and seen on Charisma, Moody Radio, Focus on the Family, GOD TV, The Christian Post, Crosswalk, Belief.net, LifeWay Men and other media outlets.