They were chit-chatting like teenagers, whiling away the time in the waiting room. But they weren’t schoolgirls, or even young mothers. They were at least eighty years old, taking a long walk down memory lane, reminiscing about their glory days.
I could hear snippets of the conversations from around the corner:
“One time, at mama’s house…”
“You won’t believe what I did…”
The story she told had them both doubled over with giggles.
“Back when it was acceptable to throw paper out your car window, I wadded up some trash and threw it out while I was driving.”
“Yes, we all used to do that!”
“But I’ll bet you never threw money out the window! As soon as the trash left my hands, I realized I had accidentally crumpled up two twenties with it! Out it went, flying away! And you know, back then, forty dollars was a lot of money.”
“Oh, no! Did you stop and find it?”
“You better believe I did! I turned around faster than you could say ‘boo!’ and found my money!” They erupted in laughter! I pictured her veering off-road, squealing on two wheels, turning her car around to recover the hard-earned dollars.
Those gals may have been old, but their smiles and laughter made them young at heart. Though I couldn’t see their faces, I imagined the twinkle in their eyes and the wrinkled laugh lines on their faces. Lines that told of decades of joy and sorrow.
Scripture Tells Us to Remember
These ladies were doing something that scripture tells us to do: remember.
“Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me.” Isaiah 46:9 (NASB)
The Old Testament book of Leviticus teaches us about the feasts and festivals God’s people were to observe. They reminded the people of God’s faithfulness.
- Passover (Lev. 23:4-5): Commemorates God’s deliverance of Israel out of Egypt. The angel of death would pass over every home that had the blood of a lamb on it. Today, the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:20) is a reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice as the perfect Passover Lamb.
- The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:6-8, Ex. 12:15-20): Represents how the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt—in a hurry! Bread made without leaven was quicker. When leaven, or yeast, was used, it took much longer for the bread to rise. Unleavened bread is also a picture of Jesus: Sinless. In scripture, leaven often represents sin.
- Feast of Firstfruits (Lev. 23:9-14): This was an offering given for the spring barley harvest. On Passover (day 1), a sheaf of grain was marked, bundled, and left in the field. The next day (day 2) was the first day of the festival, so the sheaf was cut and prepared for the offering. On the third day, the priest would wave the sheaf before the Lord, representing that the full harvest belonged to God. Jesus rose on the third day, the day of first fruits. Today, we celebrate this day as Easter, a reminder of our promised future resurrection.
- Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:33-44): The Israelites built temporary “booths” or shelters to commemorate and remember how they lived under God’s care during their forty years in the wilderness. It is a reminder of God’s faithfulness and protection.
In the New Testament (NASB translation), there are forty-five instances of the word “remember.” It tells us to remember Jesus (2 Timothy 2:8) and His words (Acts 20:3). We should also remember our lives before Jesus saved us (Ephesians 2:12). Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 1:3 tell us to remember others in prayer.
Why and How to Remember
It’s good for us to remember events in our lives, even the unpleasant ones. We can see how we’ve grown or what we’ve learned while walking through our trials. We can see God’s faithfulness in our lives—in the good times and bad, in the hard as well as the easy. When we remember, we can praise Him and His faithfulness, and see how God’s presence is always with us. We will see the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
How do you document your ordinary, everyday life?
-Photos?
-Brief entries on a calendar?
-Social media memories?
-Journal?
I keep a brief list of daily happenings in my planner. Then, at the end of the month, I print several pictures from the month and insert them as “monthly memories.” I also jot down my thoughts on my planner pages. At the end of the week, I journal. I’m not great at this, I’ll skip a week or two or ten. But I do manage to keep a running list in my journal of God’s faithfulness and His gifts (snow in South Louisiana? What a gift!). By remembering what He has done—in the big things and in the small—I can worship Him for the good, good Father that He is.
How about you? What is one habit you can incorporate in your day-to-day to remember?
For His glory,
