The Dangers of Selective Memory
9:08 AMHeatherIf it weren't so frustrating to hear, I might just laugh when my kids tell me things like, "You NEVER let me do anything!" Or, "This is the worst day EVER." And, yes, I have even heard the dreaded, "I hate you," and "I am SO mad at you." It cuts to my very heart--but yet at the same time, I feel the urge to laugh because it is so ridiculous. Yes, I'm afraid my children are cursed with that darn human tendency for selective memory. They conveniently forget all the privileges, favors, and blessings they've enjoyed. And, yes, I have turned into THAT mom, spouting off such wisdom as, "well, there are starving children in Africa and kids who wish they have more than the clothes on their back! Or even parents, for that matter!"
Discontent. Billions of dollars are spent in advertising designed to create discontent in the heart of all consumers. We live in a culture where we are constantly inundated with the message that our laundry detergent doesn't clean well enough, our home isn't big enough, and our clothes aren't flattering enough. I believe discontent is born from selective memory. Can we not all wind ourselves into a tizzy about how unfair and unhappy and unsatisfying both things and people are in our lives?
I would venture to say that most of the time, our sense of discontent is quite unrealistic. But, I know that there are times in life when the weight of the circumstances truly leave a person leveled. For instance, this week was the one year anniversary of the Joplin tornadoes. A community facing great loss--both of lives and property. A community with every reason in the world to feel discontent, unhappy, lacking all hope. A community who may well have written these very words:
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