How do you remember?

There are times in life where we do not need to forget what we have been through.  Where we can see that God has been with us, and blessed us. Through our struggles or maybe answered a prayer that we have been praying for years.  The memory of the great thing the Lord has done for us fades unless we set up a memorial.  Memories, no matter how good, will fade with time.    

That is why we have photo books and the fond memories that pop up on Facebook of things that we shared years ago.  It is also why we keep our kids kindergarten art work.  These allows us to remember what they were like at that age.  

Folks in the Bible did not have picture books or Facebook to remind them of the good times.  They had oral histories and physical markers in place where the awesome work that God had done on their behalf to remind them.

These are paraphrased from the Word.

Jacob set the rock up the he used as a pillow and blessed it and named the place Bethel. (Genesis 28:18-19)  

Joshua told the Israelites as they crossed the Jordan on dry land that one man from each tribe should lift a stone on their shoulder and carry it to the other side. While on the other side they placed the stones in a pile in Gilgal, to remind them that they passed that way through the Jordan on dry ground.  (Joshua 4:4-5, 20-22)

While Joshua was still in the riverbed, he placed 12 stones on the place where the priests that were carrying the Ark were standing.   (Joshua 4:9) 

Here is one more example and this one applies to my family personally.  

After defeating the Philistines in battle, Samuel placed a stone between Mizpah and Shen and named it Ebebezer saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us.".  Ebenezer means 'Stone of help'.  (1 Samuel 7:13-14)

We are getting a puppy on Saturday and we are naming him Ebenezer.  We will literally be raising a stone of remembrance, a stone of help.  He will also be a physical testimony to others of what God has done for us that we can share with them as we get the funny looks about his name.  

We are naming him this for specific reasons.  To remind us of the struggles that we have been through the past months with adopting our children and getting them help.  To remind us that God was, and is with us during the loving interactions and hard won battles. To remind us that it will not always be this way, and that His love will never change. 
    
I challenge you to go out and place some stones with your family.  Use it as an opportunity to tell your children what God has done for you in the past.  Do not tear it down after and you will be surprised at how long they will remember what it means.  You could also take a stone and write a word on it to have in your or your kids pockets.  Words such as "strength", "faith", or "prayer" could be a reminder of how God is working in our lives.       

Rough roads

I really like driving.  It is one of the things that I feel I am good at.  I grew up driving in a hay field when I was 8, while my dad threw the hay bales in the back of the truck.  I did that for many years and finally transitioned to the country dirt roads that we had around our house.  

What has struck me over the past couple of days is how life is like those dirt roads.  I have found that sometimes we are on some long washboard roads that just shake and beat you to death; the vibration just wearing us out.  The day to day life that just grinds us down.  The thousand little things that we do during the day that seemingly have no consequence, while at the same time can build up over time.  

Maybe we are driving at night and we hit a huge pothole that came up too fast to miss.  The jarring impact only lasting for a short time yet it can leave us forever changed, whether it be  losing a job or putting a child in residential care.  These may come and go quickly, however, while we are in their midst they do not feel short. In the grand scheme of God's plan they really are a bump in the road and we are changed for just for experiencing with them. 

Sometimes roads will be so dusty that we cannot see what is behind us even as we focus on where we are going.  And we could feel that if we stop, that cloud of murky, grey-colored air will catch up and descend on us so that you will not be able to see where you are going.  Funny thing about us stopping is that the dust cloud goes away after a while.  The dust settles, no longer obscuring our vision.  

Then there are the times where God shows us that He is taking care of us, where He has come and used a road grader to smooth out the washboards and fill in the potholes.  Then He sent some rain, just for us, to wash away all of the dust.  We can look back and see where we have been and have a clear view at where you are going.  Knowing that God put us right here, right now, for what we are experiencing, is a huge blessing.  

I may be feeling nostalgic about those country roads, but feeling as I do now, I will not be able to look at them the same way again.