Mom, Dad, and great-granddaughter, about 2011
As he got older, my dad would occasionally quip, “My memory is so good I can remember things that didn’t even happen!”
Actually, Dad remembered accurately many past events, numerous jokes, a plethora of interesting trivia, and an impressive amount of Bible knowledge—well into old age.
Some years ago I happened to recall a fun song from my childhood, but a few lines of lyrics had escaped my memory. Dad was in his upper-eighties by this time, but I asked anyway.
“Do you happen to remember the lyrics to “Cheer Up, Cheer Up?”
He remembered them perfectly, and we enjoyed reminiscing about the Scottish pastor who’d taught us to sing the chorus with a Scottish accent.
Delightful memories are one of the joys of getting older.
In fact:
But God designed our memory-capacity for more than just enjoyment. He had in mind important purpose as we use this ability to foster our relationship with him.
For example:
Remembering God’s interventions contributes to our hope.
Looking back over our lives, we all can remember how God has brought us through challenging times, miraculously supplied urgent needs, and guided us in difficult decisions.
As a result, we can affirm: if he took care of those situations then, he can certainly take care of this situation now. And we find hope beginning to bloom.
Remembering God’s mighty deeds bolsters our faith.
Like the psalmist Asaph wrote: “I will ponder all your works and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God?” (Psalm 77:12-13).
Remembering is a form of worship. And as we rehearse with him the miracles we’ve witnessed and experienced, our fears subside, doubts shrink, strength increases, and our confidence in God expands.
Remembering God’s faithfulness fosters gratitude and peace.
Brain research has confirmed that “engaging in gratitude rewires neural-pathways, combating anxiety.”
That means, with every remembrance of God’s faithfulness, we’re taking advantage of the ability he’s given us, to calm our stress and hard-wire pathways to peace. *
Remembering the past encourages personal and spiritual growth.
We find wisdom for the present from the lessons learned in the past.
One lesson I’ve learned along the way was actually proclaimed eons ago by a Greek playwright, Aeschylus: “Happiness is a choice.”
I can choose negativity and spiral downward into discouragement, or I can look for the blessings in my life and give my heart a good dose of cheer (Proverbs 17:22).
I’d rather do the latter.
Remembering the past contributes to obedience.
- As we consider how God has provided throughout our lives, we’re more able to obey the instructions:
- As we praise God for what he’s accomplished in the past, we’ll sidestep complaining about a difficulty in the present.
- As we remember the joy of liberal generosity (Acts 20:35), we’ll avoid tight-fisted possessiveness.
- And as we strengthen our faith by remembering God’s amazing deeds, we fight against spiritual complacency.
With the psalmist we can affirm:
We have no need for wishful thinking, remembering things that didn’t even happen. Pondering all the wonders God has performed for us will keep us happily occupied into eternity.
Image credits: Nancy Ruegg; http://www.easy-peasy.ai; http://www.canva.com; http://www.heartlight.org; Nancy Ruegg; http://www.dailyverses.net; http://www.canva.com.
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From the Inside Out 