Remember

I have spent close to seven hours today scrapbooking. It is not one of my favorite things to do while I'm doing it, but the end result always makes me happy. I love looking back at where we've come from--how the kids have grown, what activities they've been involved in, how things have changed over time. And as I was scrapbooking, it got me thinking about how we are also to "scrapbook" our spiritual journey as well.

Now before you get upset with me because you don't like to scrapbook, let me explain. What I mean is simply that God tells us to remember. He doesn't want us to be the man who looks at himself in the mirror and then walks away forgetting what he looked like.

In Deuteronomy 4:9, God tells us: Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

And again in Isaiah 46:9 He says: Remember the former things, those of long ago....

Our lives are a spiritual journey, which means that we are moving and things are changing as we go. I would hope that I am not in the same place I was 5 years ago in my walk with God because, if I am, that would mean I am not growing in Him.

As we grow, we are to remember. Remember how God brought us to the point we're at now. Just as I can look back at pictures of my kids and remember how they've gotten from point A to point B, I can look back at my life in Christ and see how He has brought me from one place to the next.

So, how do I "scrapbook" my spiritual journey? And how can you? For me, I have found writing is a good way for me to remember what God has done. I do this mainly through blogging and saving some e-mails and documents that I write. I used to keep a written journal but have found that I am better at keeping it via computer. For those who don't particularly like to write, maybe you can keep mementos from particular events in your spiritual journey--a church bulletin from the week you were saved, a picture of a camp where God really spoke to you, a key ring from a mission trip. Or maybe you can keep the writing to a minimum with a journal that is simply one or two sentence entries of things you'd like to remember.

No matter what, I encourage you to do something to help you remember. In the moment, it seems like you could never forget. But then months pass by and you're in a tough situation, and you are forgetting how God has rescued you from something just like this in the past. Remember. Remember.

God does not want us to have spiritual amnesia. He desires--and deserves--our praise. In order to give Him the praise He deserves, we need to remember--because when we remember, we share it with others. And when we share it with others, it becomes part of their God story, too.

Won't you take some time today to remember what God has done for you? Even if you aren't sure about all of this "God stuff," I can assure you that God has already done something for you. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on a cross for crimes He didn't commit in order to pay for our sins--all of our sins. But the story doesn't end there. God raised Jesus from the dead, conquering death. Because of this, we can be forgiven and have eternal life if we only confess and believe. So you see, we all have something to look back and remember.

What's your story--what has God done for you?