Help in Remembering

As we began a trip to be away from home for about six weeks, an impression grew upon us to write a diary of our experiences in traveling and in the visit to both of our mothers. The thought then came to mind, that this was also a way to keep in touch with the ones we normally are when at home—by sending the highlights of God’s blessings and dealings by e-mail.

The Lord then brought back a message that was delivered in my hearing recently on how we as human creatures need help in remembering the good. The devil seems to make it easy to remember the negative side of things. It is naturally easy to remember if someone mistreated our ancestors and how rare it is to hear someone say that so and so was gracious to my grandparents. May God help us in this process of remembering the beneficial things.

An older sister once called me back long-distance to counsel that I write down the things I had communicated to her about what the Lord had given me. She felt I would need them in holding on to what the Lord had given. I did, and it was true. As I would re-read them it was renewed in my mind and was not lost. How often you hear of folks going back on what God has given them. We really need help in remembering. “Bring all things to your remembrance.”* (John 14:26)

“Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee.”* (Deuteronomy 4:23) One sister wrote a book of the memorials in her family of the answers to prayer and things the Lord had done. She didn’t want her children and grandchildren to forget, but rather remember and be encouraged to continue following her God.

Here is a place I believe young mothers could make their lives more useful for the future.

Someday, if the Lord allows time, you will be in the place of an older woman needing to be teachers to the younger. Young women, if God is helping you in difficult situations, write them down, no matter how awkward you may feel your writing is. If you don’t have time to write down sensible sentences, make some notes. This is a good way to use the computer, instead of chatting or writing or sending unprofitable emails. Write down the mistakes too, and how you could have done better. This will help you remember, and to help the ones following. We need to remember we are going to give account of our time spent while here on earth.

My husband asked his mother about the time one of his siblings was going through a lying stage. He remembered his mother asking his sibling, “Why do you keep on lying, when you know you are lying, and I know you are lying?” The child’s answer was, “Well, if I keep saying it long enough, I began believing it myself.” My husband was wanting more insight in the situation. But his mother had forgotten asking her child the question…. What if she had written a diary? Would it have told how God had helped her help her child?

You may think, “I will never forget, they are blazed on my brain.” But you will be surprised what the toll of the years will bring. You will forget. As time passes things fade in your memory. I have mentioned to my mother things of my childhood, thinking sure she would remember. But she didn’t. Even my own children in their twenties have told me things I have already forgotten!

“Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance.”* (2 Peter 1:13)

God has preserved Jesus’ words for our human and spiritual needs. He is our example. We need to write down the Lord’s dealings with us in guiding our home and children, that we may remember when we are older, more tired, and the last children are being raised. When my husband and I were first married, we noted in our circle of acquaintances that sometimes the last children didn’t turn out as well as the older. We wondered why. Were the parents more tired, so that they forgot principles, and became lax?

“Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.”* (Genesis 40:23) Only when something tragic happened did he remember Joseph. This chief butler spoke to Pharaoh and said, “I do remember my faults this day.”* (Genesis 41:9) It is a big mistake to not remember the blessed dealings of the Lord with us. We don’t want God to have to deal hard with us to get us to remember.

“And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.”* (Genesis 9:16) We often see a rainbow, do we not? God knew we would need something physical to remind us. We need to learn how God wants to help us in this remembering process. It is normal to forget things. But some things are too important to forget. We must find a way to remember. If we do not, it may mean that we may lose our souls or the souls of our loved ones.

Nor does the Lord help us just for ourselves. He also wants this treasure passed on down to the younger women and to those who may not have a clue as how to guide their home and children.

“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.”* (Hebrews 2:1)