memory lane

This week I've had the privilege of going down memory lane with some friends...and what I saw in the eyes of my friends as I watched their minds contemplate the memories was amazing. It was, if you would, a fire. A passion being renewed, an encouragement, a bit of astonishment from one, and a rekindling of love within another. Over the years I've reminded myself of things that the Lord has done for me, for my spouse, and for my children, I've relived events, seeing the sovereignty of God woven into every detail of my life, even when I failed to see what He was doing in me while in the midst of things. I have the immense privilege of being "in ministry." Nope, I'm not paid staff anywhere, but see...God has called me to minister to those around me and love on them, and I keep coming before the Lord in awe of who He puts in my life, and the words He gives me to point them to Jesus.

Specifically this week as I spoke with two different sets of people about marital issues, I was allowed to share parts of my testimony. I said very pointedly to one, "I believe God is a God who can and will change people, my dear family member is an agnostic evolutionist, and God saved me out of a family that never went to church, solely for His glory and fame." As I spoke these words, it was like walking down memory lane. June 5, 1995...I asked Jesus to save me, and He did. I felt renewed, and excited, thankful once again for my salvation.

I'm sure you've all heard "the grass is always greener on the other side" Well...guess what...that's not a true statement...in case you didn't know that already...but what is true is that remembering the good and bad of our past is to our benefit. I know you're with me on remembering the good, but probably thinking I'm a little off in remembering the bad. Seriously though...as we look back on our lives, it's really to our benefit to remember both good and bad because we can look and see God at work in all things. God's word says, "for it is God who is at work in you both, to will and to work to His good pleasure" Phil 2:13....so we know that in all things God is the one at work in us as long as we have His indwelling Holy Spirit, we are sealed and therefore all work in us is being done by Him. I remember something "bad" that every time I look back on it, I realize how amazing God was in it and through it, it's no longer bad...it's miraculous and was and still is a tremendous blessing...and my middle child has the scar across his belly from the surgery at five weeks old to prove it, and whenever I see it...I remember what God taught me, and what God did in my heart through that event.

So, from one sister in Christ to whoever may read this, I just want to encourage you...go down memory lane..daily if you need to. Think on the things that God has done in your life...the things good and bad that God was right there for, and brought you through to His glory. Write it down, journal it if you can....because one day you may forget the seemingly little things that God did. I strongly encourage you to come up with some way to remind yourself of what God is doing in your life, it will not only bless your soul, but the lives of your children, just as we read in Joshua 4:6-9, "Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, 'What do these stones mean to you?' then you shall say to them, 'Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.' So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever." Thus the sons of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as the LORD spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel; and they carried them over with them to the lodging place and put them down there. Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing, and they are there to this day."

Things we do to remember what God has done might not be as permanent as those stones that are still there to this day, or like the small surgical scar my middle son bears across his tummy that reminds me of the loving and gracious Father I have, that carried me through a night in the children's hospital in Louisville, KY when I was all alone and God taught me that just when I thought I couldn't love another child nearly as much as my first one, that God Himself would not only fill me with the love for him, but He Himself would love 'my' children through me to His glory, because after all all of my children are really His first anyway.

So..allow your mind to wander...allow yourself to ponder the goodness of our God...and His work in your life. Look over the past few days, weeks, months or years. Whatever time period it takes to jog your memory of how Awesome our God is..do it! "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." Phil 4:8

Dwell on the Lord! Dwell in His word!