The Remembrance Reminder
By Lexi Cole
“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.”
Psalm 77:11
Finals…end-of-the-semester paper dues…buying presents...choir concerts…relatives coming…Christmas parties…housecleaning…Christmas cards…finding a Christmas tree…decorating the Christmas tree…work…the list goes on and on. In the midst of the busy-ness we normally find ourselves in, the month of December seems to always be “more busy.” And yet, our hearts don’t want to be consumed by the “busy-ness”; we don’t want to miss why we celebrate Christmas or forget that “Jesus is the reason for the season.” It’s just that we can’t necessarily remove the busy-ness: I still have to take my finals and turn in my papers. And getting the house ready for relatives coming is, definitely, a good thing!By Lexi Cole
“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.”
Psalm 77:11
So the question becomes, “How do we accept the busy-ness, but still intentionally remember the reason we celebrate it all?” It sure seems that, first, we must realize that pausing to remember God’s greatness is crucial. The verse above, in context, is written in a time of “great personal distress.” (1) We don’t know the specific circumstance, but we know that in his distress, the psalmist still pauses to remember how great our God is. Shouldn’t that be our desire in the midst of the busy-ness? That we would daily pause and remember the “deeds of the Lord”?
But how do we do that? How do we go beyond that verse and live it out? Recently, Calum Jack, the pastor of my church here in Scotland, gave us all small candles as a tangible reminder of the commitment to pause, refocus and remember Christ’s gift. (Similarly, I remember when my home pastor, Noah Palmer, handed out small dot stickers a few years ago for us to put somewhere as a reminder.) I’ve placed that candle right by my laptop to remind me to pause in the midst of my busy-ness to remember the reason I celebrate Christmas: God’s plan-in-action to begin the restoration of relationship with Him through the humble Christ-child.
The busy-ness will continue, but in the midst of it, my “remembrance reminder” has been there. The actual object is insignificant; the important part is that we find a proactive way to pause and praise Him….during the busy-ness of the Christmas season and beyond.
GOING DEEPER:
1. What insignificant object can serve as your “remembrance reminder” during the busyness of the Christmas season?
2. What are some of the attributes, names of God or things God has done for that you can pause and thank Him for now?
FURTHER READING:
Psalm 77:1-20
Lexi is an Elementary Education major at Bethel University, currently studying abroad in Scotland. The last two summers, she’s been the Children’s Ministries intern at Oakwood.
(1) NIV Study Bible. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 2002.
