Forgetfulness
By Susan Klein
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it
says.”
James 1:22 (NIV)
When reaching middle
age, forgetfulness can become quite the companion. While everyone experiences
mild episodes, prolonged forgetfulness can lead one to thoughts of dementia or
Alzheimer’s. Though in most cases, the more likely culprits are lack of sleep,
stress or illness.
Forgetting where your
keys are or why you walked into a room is not as alarming as possibly forgetting
who you are or what you look like. I read a recent news article about a mother
of eleven children who was involved in a tragic car accident. The memories of
her most recent two years, which included having a baby, were lost. Looking at
her infant, she did not recognize her face. Her husband had to show the woman
multiple photos of her holding the baby to prove that she was indeed her
daughter. How devastating to not remember your own child’s face! (1)
Such is the thought
captured in in the book of James. He is writing to the twelve tribes scattered
among the nations. Under apparent persecution, they’ve forgotten some very important
things they’ve learned. He exhorts, “Anyone who listens to the word but does
not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and,
after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like”
(James 1:23-24).
To paraphrase, “God
has entrusted you with His very important truths. He has equipped you with His
Holy Spirit to make these truths come alive so that they might always live within
you and be a part of you. But you have chosen to walk as though you don’t
remember them, thus as if not remembering what you look like (in Christ).”
How often do we
forget what we look like? Might we be forgetting that we are holy and set apart
for God’s great purpose; that we are washed clean and white as snow in His eyes?
Do we remember that we are clothed with Christ, or adorned in garments of
salvation and arrayed in robes of righteousness? How often do the tragedies and
trials of life inflict us with an acute memory loss, not only of what we look
like but of how we are to be living? (Galatians 3:27; Isaiah 61:10)
Let us never
(tragically) forget in whose image we are created, or what we really look like.
GOING
DEEPER:
1. When you look in the mirror, what
(or whose) reflection do you see?
2. Take some time to remember, to
celebrate, and give thanks for what you look like and who you are.
FURTHER
READING:
Susan is married to Mark, and
has two adult children. She enjoys teaching Bible studies, writing, and
tutoring with the Literacy Council. She is a member of the Peace Team at
Oakwood and also periodically co-leads a Wednesday Night Community small group.
