As I shift to new experiences in my life (new apartment!) new jobs, etc. it feels like I could leave behind my life prior to these moments if I wanted to. Old heartaches, and burned out friendships can be traded in for my shiny new life, my bright new future. However, in the recesses of my mind and the depths of my soul I know the experiences I have had, the people I have met, the places I have been, and the things, all the things, I have done-- it's all shaped me.
The residue of a former life sits among my unpacked boxes in my new apartment. Evidence of times past, and memories made. Pictures, trinkets, journals, and letters all point to things I have held onto over the years; they point to things I wish to remember. Even without these mementos, there is no denying what my life has been up to this moment. All any of us has are the memories we've made and the things we pack in boxes along the way.
In examining this process of keeping things to remember from my life, I am reminded consequently of the many exhortations made in the Bible, "Do not forget", "Remember". Over and over and over we are reminded to never forget. I used to think that I could never forget such things as God's promises. I used to think I would never deny or challenge God's faithfulness. In life though, we can distance ourselves from those memories, and what was once flourishing and hanging on the walls of our heart can become something we fit into tiny boxes. Sometimes, more easily than we'd like to admit, our faith can be labeled nicely and put onto shelves, tucked away, awaiting the thick layer of dust that is bound to develop over time. Our faith, our remembering God (just like anything else we once held dear) will sit, and it will wait.
It's in times of forgetting, when our faith is tucked somewhere far away, that I think the verses cautioning us to remember make the most sense. If our faith was something we could never forget, then it wouldn't be imperative that we should be reminded of it. However, time and again we see examples of the faithful forgetting, and needing to be reminded of their purpose, of their faith.
Search for the Lord and for his strength;
continually seek him.
12
Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given.
1 Chronicles 16: 11-12
So I'll sit, gently dusting off those boxes, peeking inside, and I will be reminded again of what was.
To Remembering,
K
