Remember When…?
By Jen Wollner
“I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.”
Psalm 77:11
“Remember when we went to our Junior Prom?” I asked my friend whom I’ve known since middle school.
“Yeah, but what were we thinking with those dresses?” she replied as we both laughed hysterically at the memory of the two of us in lots of ruffles and sequins.
Reminiscing. It’s something we find ourselves doing often, isn’t it? It’s fun for us to re-live shared experiences with friends and family. Sometimes the memories make us laugh so hard we can barely breathe. Other times they take our breath away. No matter what the circumstance, talking through it again brings back all the emotions of that time and draws us closer together in our relationship with the other person. It’s a form of bonding like no other. We may also find ourselves learning life lessons together as we re-process the event, looking at it through different eyes.
In Luke 10, starting in verse 17, we read about a sweet time of reminiscing between Jesus and seventy-two messengers He commissioned to go out and preach about God’s Kingdom. When they came back together, they shared their experiences and then turned to God and praised Him for all that was accomplished. Actually, praising and thanking God is a form of reminiscing. As we recall events and give Him the glory, we re-live the situation with Him and our hearts are uplifted. I believe that the Lord delights in remembering with us, too, and finds joy in our close relationship.
God is omnipresent (always with us), but let’s not let that deter us from re-living the big and little moments of our lives with Him. Reminiscing strengthens our friendship and gives Him the opportunity to speak to our hearts in marvelous ways.
“Lord, remember the time when…?”
GOING DEEPER:
1. Find time today to reminisce with the Lord about a particular part of your day. Pay close attention to what He wants to teach you or impress upon your heart in regard to that event. Is there something He wants you to share with someone else to teach or encourage?
FURTHER READING:
Psalm 100:4; Luke 10:17-21
Jen and her husband are busily parenting three children between the ages of eight and four. She serves on the leadership team for Mission: Hope, Oakwood’s orphan care ministry.
