Staying Focused on God through Remembrance

The music blared from an old iPod. Suddenly, I was back in the year 2002. I had found the closest thing to a time machine. When rummaging through the abundance of things we store in the basement, I came across an iPod full of music from my childhood. It filled me with the feeling of nostalgia and reminded me of a time that was full of good memories and love. That’s the power of remembrance. It can bring you back to a time, place, or event important to you.

In my post today, I want to discuss remembrance. Remembrance is powerful, and I want to examine what it means in our Christian walk today. When the Israelites left Egypt, God told them to celebrate the feast of unleavened bread every year in remembrance of how he saved them from slavery and displayed His power through the Egyptians (Exodus 12:14, 17). 

Jesus also wanted His followers to celebrate and remember an important event, His crucifixion (Luke 29:18). So why is it so important to remember and celebrate important events in our Christian walk? Remembrance keeps our focus on what is important (Hebrews 12:2) and gives us something to hold onto when times get tough.

Staying focused

As we go through our days, things can become routine. Wake up, brush your teeth, and get ready for the day. Things can become so commonplace that we can do them on autopilot. The things we do daily lose meaning or excitement throughout the years. Celebrating what God has done for us and in our lives can realign our thoughts and priorities among the mundane, creating a sacred space amongst the secular.

Going to church is one way to celebrate and remember what God has done and is doing in our lives. Going to church we celebrate the community of God’s people and remind ourselves of His love and the importance of his word and work in my life. Going to church sets my mind on things above (Colossians 3:2) for the upcoming week.

Something to hold on to

When life gets hard and we want to give up we must hold on to God and His promises (Hebrews 10:23) to keep us from being carried out to sea by the winds and waves of life. By reminding ourselves of what God has done for us in the past, we reaffirm His ability to get us through our current storm. This builds our trust and dependency on God. 

When Life gets hard and the storms of life come I often look to a time in my life when God provided for my needs. A time when I was a single mother and couldn’t even afford toilet paper, but one way or another God always provided from the smallest of needs to the biggest. By remembering and thanking God for this work He has done in the past I am reminding myself that He can provide for all my needs(Ephesians 3:20, Philippians 4:19). By this practice I am cultivating gratefulness in my life. As I remember and cultivate gratefulness, my faith and relationship with God grow. Next time the storms of life come I will have new memories to hold on to and remind me of what God can do.

Conclusion

As you go through your week look out for things God is doing in your life that you can store up, celebrate, and remember. By doing this you will be helping yourself stay focused on what God is doing in your life and what is important along with giving yourself memories to hold on to when life gets hard and doubt creeps in.

Join me next week as we move on to part three of the series of lessons from Exodus. We will be looking at following God into the wilderness and what that looks like in our lives today.