Remembering

REMEMBERING

God is so good at remembering. It’s His remembrance of His promise in the Garden that provided a means of salvation for us all. Throughout the Old Testament He instructed the Israelites to remember over and over again. When He dried up the River Jordan so that the Israelites could cross over to Jericho, He instructed them to take stones from the middle of the river to erect memorials to remember this event. (Joshua 4) He did that so the children of later generations would see the stones and ask what they represented. The elders could then share the story of God’s faithfulness to His people as they crossed over the Jordan. He wanted them to remember and He knew they might need a reminder because unlike the Lord, His people are prone to forget. 

I know I am prone to wander and forget the faithfulness of the Lord. I recognize that I also need memorial stones to help me remember how God has moved in my life. There are some special things in and around my home that serve as visual reminders, a kind of memorial stone, for me of God’s faithfulness. They are small things: a container of frankincense and myrrh from overseas reminds me of God’s faithfulness during a long deployment, a journal I kept during a particularly difficult season that reminds me of how God rescues us in hard times, a picture of friends who were His hands and His feet in very tangible ways when I was solo with little babies and a husband an ocean away. Those little items bring a smile to my heart as I remember how good my God has been to me even when the days were so hard. Maybe you already create these little memorial stones for yourself but if you don’t, I would encourage you to find your own way to remember how God has moved in your own life. It looks different from person to person but it’s good to find ways to remember His faithfulness. 

This memorial day weekend we as a nation take a “tactical pause” out of our regular schedules to remember those who have served. We remember the bravery of the soldiers who gave so much so that we could be free. We remember the families who grieve the ones who didn’t come home. We honor those fallen soldiers who were fathers, sons, brothers, mothers, daughters and sisters. Truly there is a cost to freedom. It is right to remember these men and women. We can use all kinds of things to trigger our memories of the fallen. Consider raising an American flag or being part of a wreath ceremony at a Veterans cemetery. However you choose to spend the weekend, I hope you do take a moment to remember the cost of freedom and thank our good God for the gift of living in this nation. We enjoy so many freedoms. Let’s remember the ones who died to secure them and remember to always look to the Lord to protect and guide our country. May God continue to bless America. 

How can you create “memorial stones” to remember God’s faithfulness to you?

Tracie Durham is a Body & Soul Instructor in Central Arkansas. She is a home school momma to three amazing kiddos and wife to a fire chief. Tracie loves to think deeply about the things of Jesus and write and reflect on His Word. Her hope is that this post blesses you and brings honor and glory to God.