Remembrance

We have all sorts of days set aside to honor an event that has happened in the past that we deemed worthy of being recognized once a year. Holidays, religious or federal, birthdays, anniversaries... A lot of these days aren't very applicable to our personal lives, though. We remember, remember the 5th of November but who was around when Guy Fawkes was? Why can we so easily forget things that have happened in our lives but remember these various remembrance days? I guess it's because people remind us that it's the 4th of July or a friend's birthday. We make a big deal out of it as stores decorate their windows and aisles months in advance.

It could be just me, but I feel that I so often forget things that God has taught me and the examples he's given me in my life. Tonight I was strongly reminded of a mountain that God pulled both me and an entire community over two years ago. (I'm not opposed to sharing what that was but the story is not the point, you can ask me if you want though...) You would think that something that involved so many people and was basically a miracle would not be so quick to escape my memory. But hey, we're only human.

This is why I like to keep a prayer journal. Not only because it helps me focus and keep my thoughts more organized (usually), but because I can have that record that I can go back to. I don't think it does anyone any good to dwell on the past, but we have to remember it. We mustn't look forward forever, for if we do not see the setting sun, we cannot know the dawn ahead.

Whatever has happened to us - messy, hurtful or joyous - serves a purpose. It still serves a purpose even if we don't figure it out for a year. So here's to remembering those instances in our lives, those set-ups and pay-offs that God the director puts in our life stories.

Have a good night, all.