Memories with You

Today I was sharing with a friend about a Coldplay concert I saw a few years ago. On that particular trip, I drove across the state of Oregon alone. Oregon is an absolutely beautiful wonder of natural scenery. You drive for miles and never see a sign of civilization other than the road you travel on. I remember the shadows of the trees making stripes of dark and light that flashed over my car in time with the music pounding from my speakers. Later, before the concert, I remember icy beer in a plastic cup, cool grass under bare feet, an old quilt for a comforting seat and the smell of flowing fresh water, barbecue chicken and a hint of outhouse : ). All of this I savored before the music even began, and when it did begin it was wonderful.
Sadly, no one was with me along the beautiful drive and the friends I met at the concert are long gone out of my life. I was wistful for a moment thinking that I have no one to share the savory memories with. Then, I began to feel that sense of presence in my heart and the familiar voice impressed on my consciousness, "I was there." Suddenly, I looked over the memories again, seeing myself in the car, on the grass, waving my hands to the music, driving home again late at night in the dark--with God as my companion. I remembered that he made the beautiful Oregon landscape according to His excellent taste. I remembered that He was responsible for the grass, the water, the music and even the beer. Sharing the memory with Him and knowing He was there, made everything seem even more special--like a precious gift He shared with me.
There are so many other experiences I've had in my life that I have closed up and put away out of my accessible thoughts because the people I was with at the time have died or are in some way lost to me. Thinking of them makes me sad and so I've discarded the whole memory. Today, I realized that I can have all of those memories back with renewed beauty and poignancy when I remember that God was there with me, and in fact, He was the architect of the whole experience. My life just became so much richer and less lonely.
I write this to go under the topic of "finishing well," because I realize that seeing your life in terms of a race for and with and toward God, means seeing Him and acknowledging His presence along every road you've traveled. We know that He has always been with us, but giving Him presence in our thoughts and memories, gives a hint of the importance of His life to our lives. Just His being there through all our days, makes those days part of the race, and hence, part of His kingdom--including even our smallest experiences. Finishing well, means understanding that He is with us at the beginning, at the present until the end.
Isn't He good? This revelation brings me such joy and peace right now! I look forward to thinking about it more in the future!