Certain sights, smells, and sounds seem to hold supernatural powers. They have the ability to transport us back through time to the good old days, to simpler times. And, while the sensations that trigger this experience are different for each of us, I am fairly certain we all have them.
Whenever I smell freshly cut grass or hear the rustling of leaves, I am immediately transported to a cross country course back home in northern Indiana. As soon as the scent hits my nose or the sound hits my ears, a shot of energy goes through my body and I feel exactly as I did all those years ago, standing on the starting line, waiting for the race to start. For a brief moment, I feel seventeen again, and the hope of unrealized potential fills me.
My friend, Aaron Bartsch, is from northwestern Minnesota. Up where he is from, winter isn’t just a season, it’s a way of life. He noted that the smell in the air right before it snows takes him back to his middle school years. It summons the glorious feelings that accompany the joy and optimistic anticipation of snow days, snow forts, snowmen, and snowball fights with other kids in the neighborhood.
My friend, Jeanne Nichols, is from right here in Seymour, Indiana. She mentioned several different sensations that took her back to different times in life, but the one that really stuck out was the smell of Baby Magic Lotion. For her, it conjures the feelings of love, pride, and peace as it takes her back to moments holding her freshly bathed babies.
It’s interesting to me, however, how we conveniently redact the difficulties inherent in even the best of moments
Given the opportunity, I’m sure we could compile a nearly endless list of sensations that transport us through the annals of our individual histories to simpler, happier, more hopeful times. It’s interesting to me, however, how we conveniently redact the difficulties inherent in even the best of moments. Let’s consider the three examples above.
If you’ve ever run a competitive race, you know that while the feeling of anticipation at the beginning and the feeling of accomplishment at the end are amazing, the feeling while running the race itself is less than desirable. While the memory may be full of hope and happiness, the moment itself carried a large amount of nervousness and anxiety for the difficulties that led up to that moment and that lie ahead.
While anyone who’s ever experienced a snow day can testify to the joy they inspired, we can also testify to the frustration they could create. Fresh snow means icy roads to traverse, driveways to shovel, and the likelihood of being confined to your house for hours on end. The memories inspired, though, highlight the happiness, while minimizing the hardship.
Finally, anyone who has had a baby knows that the peaceful feeling following a bath is fleeting. While being the parent of a new baby is one of the most amazing things to experience, it is also exceedingly difficult. There are many sleepless nights, countless messy diapers, the joys of teething, and many other difficulties that must be navigated along the way.
Every day has its difficulty. And, many times, the greatest happiness comes through hardship.
We see examples of this dichotomy of life in the Psalms. This biblical book of songs and poetry presents life at its very best and most difficult, often on the same page. But, the refrain is often the same, that life is a good gift from God, that God was faithful in the past, is a present help in the moment, and is preparing a wonderful future.
As we reflect on the wonders of the past, we need to take care that we don’t believe the illusion that they were simpler or that our best moments are behind us. Every day has its difficulty. And, many times, the greatest happiness comes through hardship. The glories of memories inspired by sights, scents, and sensations were hard earned through life that was lived.
Each day that God blesses us with is an opportunity to experience the wonder of living in all of its complexity and grandeur. Few days are actually simple, the difficulty is just different and it dims over time. But, by God’s grace, each day has the potential to be a memorable moment that will fill us with feelings in the future.
