Remembering

As a long time high school teacher and administrator in Canada, it often fell on me to organize the school’s annual Remembrance Day ceremony in mid-November. Near the end of my 30+ career I found it increasingly difficult to connect the horrors of war to a generation that had never encountered a global war or even knew someone who had. In my early days it was possible that a student’s grandparent may have been involved but not more recently. Remembering and learning from international conflicts were similar to any other school lessons or pieces of information that may be required on an exam but it was difficult to help students make personal connections with war.

God understood that idea so well that when the Law was given in Exodus, he also instituted a series of festivals and rituals that would help tie each generation of Hebrew descendants to the Passover story and deliverance out of Egypt. The book of Exodus is full of references to the importance of remembering, as is much of the rest of the Old Testament. God not only urges his people to remember, he also continuously remembers his promises to them. He is faithful beyond what we can understand.

One scholar explains the significance of the Jewish tradition of remembering this way:
But beyond the specifics of what we are to remember, the very notion of remembering as a religious obligation—and a spiritual, intellectual, and ethical practice—is itself unusual, even extraordinary…
In its broadest sense, the Exodus reminds us that change is possible; both individually and societally, who we were yesterday need not dictate who we are today. But that freedom to change and evolve doesn’t come automatically. It’s hard-won, demanding constant internal vigilance and work.

I’ve never really considered remembering a spiritual discipline until recently. However, when I am willing to ponder God’s faithfulness in my life by looking backwards, I gain even more hope in what is to come. Not only for me personally but for all of humanity as he fulfills his plan for the world. When I choose to remember, the potential to deepen my faith grows exponentially.

Are there people in your life that God wants to use you to remind of his daily mercy and grace? Are there ways in which you could institute routines and habits that would cause you to recall times when God intervened in miraculous or even mundane ways in your life or those most dear to you? Take a step towards incorporating remembering into your daily habits and see what God does in your heart and soul.

God, in Exodus and throughout Scripture we read of you hearing cries of your people and remembering your covenant with them. Draw us to your heart and cause us to remember the work you have done for us and in us.

Throughout this day: Write a note to someone significant in your life, expressing gratitude for something they did that impacted you and let them know how much it meant.