Anyone who knows me knows that my short-term memory could use a little (yeah yeah I know…a lot) of work. My momma always says I'm too young to have so many "senior moments!" I definitely have more than my share. A lot of the time it's not a big deal. I'll forget what I ran up the stairs to get or the thing I came in the room to say- not the end of the world, right?
In all honesty, forgetting can sometimes be a good thing. A lot of people, including myself, have experienced some UUUGLLY things in life. Although the phrase "forgive, but not forget" is often invoked; it's not always the best policy. Many times, it's more healthy to forgive AND forget. Holding on to your past mistakes & traumas isn't healthy. Log the lessons, but don't fester in the details. A prayer I've been praying on this Race is for God to wipe my memory clean of a lot of things I should have never gotten into and to completely restore my innocence. I know a lot of crap I'm COMPLETELY ready to unlearn. The lessons were learned and applied, but I'm okay with not knowing all the dirty details that were involved in the process.
What's God got to say about forgetfulness? Well, a good deal of His Word is dedicated to warning against the dangers of it and encouraging people to remember. The Israelites are always getting in trouble for forgetting who their God is and what He did for them. God created yearly ceremonies and other things to help remind them of who He is and therefore who they are. Psalms is filled with chapters recounting the miraculous blessings God poured while bringing the Israelites to freedom. God also declares the importance of passing this knowledge down to the next generations so that they always remember from where their blessings come. In the case of God's Chosen, forgetting literally meant death. However, he also says that true love keeps no record of wrongs (1 Cor 13:5). Also, the person who does not forget what they hear and acts on it will be blessed (James 1:24).
Soooooo, forgetfulness can be a blessing and a curse. I guess it comes down to what/who/why you're forgetting.
Thing is, how come it's so easy to forget the good stuff? I'm often idignant when reading The Bible and I see repeated references to the Israelites' apostasy. Seriously, how could you forget water pouring out of a rock when you were desert thirsty or food being brought down from heaven and resting on the morning dew satiating a deep hunger??!! C'mon, seriously???? They're trippin!!!! Well, apparently so am I. God checked me a little while ago…
When I found The World Race on Google last year I was HYYYYPE!!!! As in immediately made an account and began the application. I had to force myself to slow down and take it to God to be sure this was cool wit Him. I was crazy excited to tell everyone about it. I blog stalked so many past Racers' blogs. I started researching the countries…I was ecstatic. That energy carried into the first month or two and I was crunk to be on this journey. Then I started to settle into a groove. It takes VERY little for me to be comfortable, acclimate to a new situation and find my niche.
Suddenly, I found myself accepting this as my life and just living it. I was still pressing into my ministry, building relationships, communing with God and loving the experience. However, I HAD forgotten just how big of a blessing God had gifted me. It started to feel like everyday life instead of a big deal. I forgot that initial heartburst I had when I found TWR. I forgot that I'm actually doing the thing that less than a year ago I found utterly amazing. I wasn't yet taking it for granted, but- had God not hollered at ya girl- I might have gone there eventually.
Take a second and think about all the ridiculously incredible things/people/experiences/feelings/thoughts/etc. God has blessed you with.
Have they lost their appeal? Have you let them turn into a normal part of your life? Does that job you always dreamed of and secured no longer make your heart race?
Do you look at your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend and no longer feel butterflies in your stomach? Have you put away the pictures from that amazing vacation you always dreamed of taking and finally were able to a few years ago?
I dunno what it is, but we all ABSOLUTELY let the blessings of God become stale. That awe and gratitude should ALWAYS be fresh.
Let's all agree to let God reignite our fires and then hold each other accountable to stoke and care for the flames. Cool? Bet.
**Just a thought…maybe we could all toss the planks of wood from our eyes onto each others fires and kill 2 birds with 1 stone! ;o) LoL that's a whole 'nother blog…**
SotM:
