Needing Reminders for a Photographic Memory

Suggested Reading: Exodus 13:1-16

My memory is a little schizophrenic. I can look at the words on a page and remember them exactly when I want to. I'm able to recall the tiniest bit of trivia at a moment's notice and recall study notes for tests extremely easily. But ask me to remember that I have to be somewhere at 2:00 Thursday afternoon or to recall a conversation I had with my wife last night and I might as well be brain dead. Now, putting aside for a moment the conversations with my wife (I still insist half of them don't actually take place), the only way I can recall appointments is to set myself several reminders. Sometimes, these reminders take the forms of sticky notes left where I will see them, but my schedule is so inconsistent that sticky notes don't really work anymore. Most of the time I have to plug the appointment into the calendars in my phone and tablet and create a minimum of three reminders, one or two for the day of the event and then a few days before as well. Otherwise, I'm likely to forget completely. Once I didn't set a reminder and didn't remember an appointment until two months after it had passed. Reminders are an absolute necessity for me.

But just as badly as I forget appointments, nearly all of us have a tendency to forget the ways God has intervened in our lives. We have short memories and when the next tragedy strikes or trouble arises we can find it difficult to look past the current circumstances and remember how God has stepped in to help in the past. That is one of the reasons that, when God was leading his people out of slavery in Egypt, God commanded them, "On this day in early spring, in the month of Abib, you have been set free. You must celebrate this event in this month each year after the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites" (Exodus 13:4-5, NLT). God was setting up a reminder for the people to help them constantly remember God's power, kindness, and desire to set them free from their enemies. Since Israel settled in the land and then consequently forgot their devotion to God, we shouldn't find it surprising that scripture says they didn't celebrate this Passover feast until centuries later under the reigns of Josiah and Hezekiah. They never set up their reminders.

As God intervenes in our lives, as God saves us from various trials, helps us through times of difficulty or provides for us in the most impossible of circumstances, we would be wise to set up little reminders in our own lives, memorials that constantly keep us mindful of God's acts of love and power on our behalf. Sometimes they can be celebrations like Christmas and Easter traditions that have our own little twist. They might be our own little rituals that serve to slow things down and make us think about God's goodness, anniversaries of important events in life or a little plaque that sits on our desk at the office. Whatever God has done in your life, memorialize it, be intentional about remembering it and telling the story from time to time. You will be amazed at how much those reminders help when difficult times arise.

Flipping the Switch on Selective Memories

Suggested Reading: Luke 24:1-10

One of the mysteries of the Easter story for me has always been the selective memory of the disciples who followed Jesus during his ministry. Almost since the beginning of his ministry Jesus had been dropping hints that he was going to die and rise again. In the weeks leading up to the Cross those hints became concrete descriptions of the suffering he would endure and even a solid prediction that the chief priests would hand him over to the Romans to be executed. While giving these predictions, Jesus repeatedly said that he would die and be raised after three days. Jesus had even given instructions for where to meet him when he rose from the grave.

When Jesus was arrested and condemned to death, you would think that Jesus' disciples would understand everything was going according to plan. But they didn't. They ran and hid, terrified, while the women, who had followed him faithfully, mourned and wept. When Jesus finally died, the women gathered spices to treat his body for burial. But on that Sunday morning after the crucifixion, when the women went to visit the tomb, they encountered two men who addressed their search for Jesus' body. They announced, "He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:  ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again. ’” Then they remembered his words (Luke 24:6-8, NIV1984).

Sometimes I wonder why God allowed all of the disciples and the women who followed Jesus to forget his words for a time, why God didn't comfort them with those promises of resurrection before Jesus rose. I can't answer that, but I can imagine the joy that must have flooded their hearts when the angels flipped that switch and turned on their memories, when everything suddenly clicked into place. The sorrow before that moment must have been overwhelming but would have made the joy that followed even more overwhelming.

Sometimes, in the midst of loss, we can easily forget the promises of God. When the pain and sorrow of life are crashing in on us, remembering God's promises is not something that comes naturally to us. Often, we don't remember those promises until they've already been fulfilled. But when you face sorrow and heartache, don't forget God's promises forever. Cling to them. Wrap yourself up in God's promises. Remember, weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning

(Psalm 30:5, NIV1984).