Remember
By Dawn Weimar
“Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.” Malachi 3:16
I have a book that I started years ago. It is just a binder with plastic sleeves, but in it I save important spiritual lessons, as well as thank you cards and other letters. It is my Book of Remembrance. I save these things to remind me of what I’ve learned and the little ways that God has used me to touch the lives of others. I take this book out periodically to review these things and remember. Sometimes, I go through my book when I am down, and sometimes when I just need encouragement that my life has mattered and still does…that God is using me to accomplish His purposes.By Dawn Weimar
“Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.” Malachi 3:16
We so easily forget ways in which we touch others’ lives, even when it is documented. When I review these items, it’s as if I am reading them for the first time. Why is it that we don’t have to reread anything to remember the times in which we’ve failed miserably? Oh, we remember those like they were yesterday! That’s good, I suppose, so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. What’s not good is that we more easily remember our failures and unfulfilled dreams, instead of the ways we succeed. I have to think that this inclination is what often contributes to depression or suicidal tendencies; the negative can so easily overpower anything positive, if we allow it.
Interestingly enough, the things that really touched someone else cost me next to nothing, except time and a heartfelt exchange, kind gesture or word of encouragement. Isn’t it fascinating how God chooses to use us in big ways as we simply go about our daily lives?
In the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” God shows the main character, George Bailey, what the world would be like without him. We won’t get the opportunity to see the full impact our lives have had on others until heaven, but we can find ways to remember and praise God for revealing to us some of the ways in which we’ve made a difference. Don’t let something that really matters go unrecognized and undocumented. Write it down! If God wrote down things for His people to remember, certainly this is good for us to do as well!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Start a Book of Remembrance today, praising God for using you to touch the lives of others.
2. Be part of building someone else’s Book of Remembrance. Send a note to someone, describing how her life, words or actions have mattered to you.
FURTHER READING:
Micah 6:8; 1 Samuel 30:6
FOR FUN:
During this Christmas season, watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” with family or friends.
Dawn is a wife and mother of three daughters, and is active in Oakwood's worship ministries. She's a pediatric nurse, currently working as VP of Business Development in Population Health Improvement.
