Remember...that's the key word here. God tells us to remember so many times throughout the scriptures, and repeats Himself with the same goal in mind. We so easily forget. We so easily lapse into a state of blissful oblivion. It's much easier to blame our problems on ignorance than inattention.
When I was growing up, forgetting was never an excuse for negligence. The excuse "I forgot" was responded to with, "If it had been important enough to you, you would have remembered."
We all have varying degrees of memory retention, I know I have been blessed with an especially high retention rate(which only makes me more culpable in cases of mindlessness), but regardless, there are somethings that we are all called upon to keep in our heads regardless of any external circumstances which might threaten otherwise.
Yesterday, I asked you to join John Newton who's memory was nearly gone in his old age, and yet he still clung to those most important things. When I was a teenager, there was a girl my age who's grandmother was suffering from Alzheimer's. The grandmother was an earnest Christian and I propounded a question to my friend that had been bothering me: "Does she forget that she's a Christian?" I asked. The girl shook her head emphatically, "That's not how it works." She said, "Sometimes she'll pray for someone in the morning and then forget that she prayed for that person a few hours later and pray for him again, but she doesn't forget God. That's just something you don't forget."
Those words stuck with me so that I can still hear her saying it, "That's just something you don't forget."
There are somethings you don't forget. They are so important to you that you don't, dare I say, you can't forget. My mother's words echo true once again, "If it were important enough to you, you would remember."
I have taken this truth as a standard to test how important something actually is to me. I may tell myself it's important, but if I'm constantly forgetting about it, for whatever reason, I seriously question my heart with regards to that thing. Sometimes that thing is something that really ought to be more important to me and so it becomes a focal point of my prayers and actions. "Remember!" I remind myself, "Don't let me forget."
....Because value and memory are directly linked.
You go up about three levels in my estimation if you already know what Christmas song I'm going to introduce now. If not, that's okay, it's time to learn it.
A beautiful Medaeval Christmas Carol, Remember, O Thou Man
Yes, you should read through all ten verses, even if the ensemble isn't singing them all. They're all excellent.
Yes, you should learn this one too. Don't forget any of it, Adam's fall, or God's goodness, they're both integral to the Christmas message: Great sinners and a Great saviour.
Until tomorrow,
~ Christianna
1 comments:
I will remember this: "value and memory are directly linked."
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