When the Squid was younger, he used to sit on the floor playing with his StarWars Lego and while he would play, he would be humming the music from a particular scene in the movie. I always kept him going saying if his life had a theme tune it would be out of one of those movies.

I was looking at photos on the laptop and came across the Squid with bags of Lego pieces, a huge smile on his face in anticipation of building something enormous. That’s what made me think of the memory above. I can smile at that memory and others but to be honest, as I clicked through photos of the last 20 years of my life, many brought tears to my eyes. There were pictures of loved ones no longer here; ones of friends no longer part of my life; and then there were ones of me. In many of them I look tired, overweight, hair pulled back, ill fitting clothes and in some of them I could sense a fake smile or two. But then I was reminded by someone that we can’t get those times back and we can’t do anything about them.

Which brings me back to movies. There’s nothing like a good movie to cheer you up-it did. I’ve always loved movies. I’ll watch almost anything as long as there is a good story. ‘An Affair to Remember’ is probably my all time favourite romance. ‘Rebecca’ is another black and white favourite. Musicals like The King and I’, ‘South Pacific’ and The Sound of Music’. I enjoy a bit of action too. ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’, ‘The Bourne Identity’, ‘The Avengers’…. I could go on.

We watch movies to entertain and escape but then we have to come back to reality. Life isn’t like the movies. Sometimes the girl does get the guy, the family live in a beautiful house with a white picket fence or the pet gets to live another day.

For most of us life is not a fantasy but a harsh reality, made up of a collection of memories.

We are not the only ones who remember. God knows about everything we say, think or do. He is omniscient after all. Often when I think of the life to come and giving an account to God, I often wonder if it will be like watching a movie as God points out things that have occurred. But then I remembered a verse about our sins.

“I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25

What an amazing truth. Yet the enemy tries to torture us with memories of past sins. He is the accuser but thankfully I can say I am redeemed by the blood of the lamb and when he tries to remind me of my past I can remind him of his future.

Thanks for reading