I have a faint memory of sitting in a high
chair somewhere and being fed—or maybe
feeding myself—Cream of Wheat. The clearest
part of the memory is the aroma. The times in
my life since then when I have caught a whiff of
Cream of Wheat have stirred that memory—
every single time. There are other memories I
have from childhood, of course. But that one is
the earliest.
Memories can be positive or negative. There
are many things in our past lives that we would
love to forget: poor decisions, poor word
choices, poor responses to others, and on and
on the list goes. Yet, each of us also has fond
memories. Each of us has events and moments
and people that we recall with delight.
Remembering can be a good exercise. In
fact, purposefully remembering is an excellent
discipline for human beings in general, and for
Christians in particular. Without the practice of
remembrance, it is all too easy to fall prey to
thinking that our present is irrevocably terrible,
our future is suspect, and that there is no
resolution to whatever woes in which we may
find ourselves. Remembering circumstances in
the past that are similar to our present, however,
is a boon to helping us navigate our lives, and it
is a great way to see a path forward.
Specifically, when we regularly spend time
remembering the good works of God in our
past, it bolsters our faith and confidence in the
present, and it strengthens our hope for the
future.
God has always been good to us. This is
especially noticeable when looking back on hard
times and difficult situations. God never fails in
his promises. God never forgets us, and he
never abandons us. It is good for us to always
remember what our great God has done for us.
–Ricky
