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 (NIV)
“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.
2. Is there something
He wants you to share with someone else to teach or encourage?
FURTHER READING:
Jen
and her husband are busily parenting three elementary aged children. She serves
on the leadership team for Mission: Hope, Oakwood’s orphan care ministry.
