“I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.” Psalm 143:
Day 21: Forget #writetogether31days
Remember Not to Forget
I don’t want to forget You created all things And surround us with beauty Oh, the joy that it brings
I don’t want to forget The stable, the star The wisemen who traveled To You from afar
I don’t want to forget The miracles, Your Word The lives that are changed Because they have heard
I don’t want to forget The whips, the thorn All You endured The veil that was torn
I don’t want to forget That bloodstained tree The sins that You bore Because You love me
I don’t want to forget Each day is a gift To You alone My praises I lift
I don’t want to forget You’ve prepared us a place And one glorious day We’ll meet face to face!
“I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
Psalm 77:11-12
“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things” ~Julie Andrews~
Birds at the feeders and sunsets on rivers Layers of blankets and a store that delivers Little boys’ laughter while playing on swings These are a few of MY favorite things
Butterscotch brownies and leaves dancing on air Friends at my table and stories to share Colorful patterns of butterfly wings These are a few of MY favorite things
Kids all together and bells in the steeple Cards in the mailbox to my special people Sparkles on lakes that the sun always brings These are a few of MY favorite things
When the wind blows When the word stings When leaving makes me sad I simply remember MY favorite things And then I don’t feel as bad.
“Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-
think on such things.”
Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
”I will remember the works of the LORD; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old. I will reflect on all You have done and ponder Your mighty deeds.” Psalm 77:11-12 (BSB)
Backward Perspective
There is much suffering surrounding us today. Many face physical and mental health challenges, financial difficulties, exhaustion, and even death. We are a world that is grieving what has been and the unknown yet to come. I’m so very grateful that for now, my family and I are well and adjusting to this new way of life as best we can. My heart aches for, and my prayers go out to those who are in the midst of much more agonizing situations.
There’s no doubt that living in a very rural area has protected me from many of the effects resulting from this pandemic. That being said, it hasn’t stopped me from at times, becoming overwhelmed by worry and allowing my fears to carry me away into a wave of panic. My thoughts have swirled around the safety of my friends and loved ones, the well-being of my daughter who’s expecting, the miles that separate me from my children, mom, sisters, and grandchildren, the growing case numbers in our state and country, and wondering what our future will look like. The list goes on and I’m sure you could add to it! Under the best of times, I have to fight the current of worry and fear, and in these worse times? There’ve been days when it’s felt as if their weight may just pull me under.
Luckily, this week I’ve had a change of perspective and it came in an unexpected way. Opening my post office box, I was surprised to find a note from my mom. Inside the envelope I found she’d enclosed two letters I’d written her in November of 1985, days after we’d experienced a deadly flood. (She’d been “isolation cleaning” and found them tucked in her desk.) As I removed the pages from the envelopes addressed in my own handwriting and began reading the raw, emotional words within them, I was transported back to a devastating time in my life. Those were days where it was hard to speak because there were no words and nights where the only sound was the raging river that made its way where the road once had been. No electricity. No water. No heat. No communication. No way in and no way out. Everything had changed overnight and there we were: isolated.
So how did reliving those heart wrenching, sorrow-filled, scary, uncomfortable months change my perspective? First of all, it reminded me how much better off I am in isolation now than I was back then. Even with the restrictions, I have everything I need right at my fingertips! More importantly though, looking back has helped me remember that as difficult as that time was, we saw God at work in many unexpected ways and received blessing upon blessing in the midst of all the challenges.
Sometimes, a backward perspective can help us move forward.
As funny as it sounds, those words I wrote thirty plus years ago helped me realize that I. Am. Here! Even though the flood of 1985 was something we never expected to experience and at the time, couldn’t imagine what life would hold in the future, I’m now living that future. I made it through! And that, my friends, gives me hope for today! I pray it brings some to you, too! Yes, life changes, but I’m learning that remembering God’s faithfulness in our past can help us trust in His unchanging love now and in whatever the future holds.
I’ve decided to keep my letters where I can see them for a while so that if I find myself beginning to sink back into worry or fear, they’ll prompt me to change my perspective, stand firm, and remember, “I am here!” Thanks be to God!
“Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.”
Psalm 103:2 (NLT)
Today’s prompt at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com is “Perspective”. I don’t know about you, but I need to change mine more often than I’d like that’s why I think these old letters have made such an impact on me. If you’d like to read what others have written on the subject, just click over and enjoy! Please know that I am so grateful for your presence here. If you have a prayer request please leave it in the comments and I will be honored to pray for you. God Bless and stay safe!
It’s time for me to bring my Five Minute Friday writing and my poem a day goal together again. This week’s prompt is “other”. Think of all the possibilities! To read the ideas of “others” on this prompt click over to http://www.fiveminutefriday.com
“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9 (NLT) / Pixabay
The Other Side
When you’re talking over coffee and the words become hotter than what’s in the cup:
Listen to the other side.
When you’re hurt because a friend who’s always been there seems to have forgotten you:
Remember there’s always the other side.
When you’re blinded by all the bad being shared everywhere you look:
Discover the good in the other side.
When someone is lost in the dark and too afraid to go on:
Shine the light to the other side.
In a world where so many don’t know their way and are clinging to the edge:
Be the bridge to the other side.
When you feel that to listen, remember, discover, shine, and be, are just too much to bear, don’t grow weary. You’re never alone:
Remember: “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.” 1 Peter 2:24(NLT) / Pixabay
I have a hard time remembering some things these days. What I had for lunch. Where my keys are. Why I came into the room. My biggest challenge though, is to remember to forget!
My younger sisters have pointed out that while I’m forgetting day to day things of the present; my memories of our past are becoming keener (a sign of aging, they proclaim). Don’t tell them, but I’m really ok with that! To remember the happy times we’ve spent with family and friends serve as a reminder of how blessed we are!
My remembering the past doesn’t stop with vacations and holidays however, I can relive words I should’ve never spoken, moments I let loved ones down, actions that were anything but Godlike, and chances I missed to do the right thing as if they happened yesterday. They play, through my mind like an old home movie, frame by frame reminding me of my unworthiness. Ever happen to you?
There’s no doubt we’re going to mess up in this life! And mess up again. And. Mess. Up. Again. Enter Jesus! He took all our sins; each one nailed to the cross. Because of His grace, we need to remember toforget! Not forget so that we don’t learn from our mistakes but rather forget in such a way that we live as God intends: FORGIVEN! Remembering times and people of the past is truly a gift but, remembering all our sins of the past is a burden we’re not meant to carry because Jesus. Already Did.
