As the time rapidly moves toward July (less than 3 months until I leave!) I am beginning to think about the things and people that I will miss.
I’ll miss my family.
And my friends.
And my dog.
And Chick-fil-A.
And driving when I want.
But the thing that continues to creep its way into my mind is: will anyone miss me? I mean come on, it’s hard enough to keep in touch with people sometimes and I’m just a few states away. Before I know it eleven months will go by, and will I be forgotten?
Will my already-hard-to-reach, super busy brothers remember I’m their one and only sister? Will they miss my random video texts of me solo dancing in the car? Will my parents promptly replace me with a hobby? Will my grandparents still think of me a time or two? Will my best friends forget that I know everything about them, or will I be replaced? Will my dog forget that I exist and find a new lap to lounge on?
This sounds ridiculous. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I’m hoping someone else may have been there or felt a smidge of what I feel. Have you been forgotten, or passed by, or made to feel replaced?
The good news: Our God does not forget.
“The Lord remembers us and will bless us…” (psalm 115:12)
The times when we’re worried about it, or when we feel forgotten, our Father is constantly chasing after us. He plans for us, waits for us, longing for us. He doesn’t forget, we are always on His mind.
“The heart of the Bible’s message is the improbable, astonishing, breathtaking good news that I am the one Jesus loves.” (Mark Buchanan)
{You remember that expression to tie a string around your finger so you won’t forget? When it wasn’t so convenient to right things down or type a reminder in our phone, it made sense to tie a string around your finger so you would remember something.}
We need to tie a string around our finger. We need to remember God’s promises so that we won’t forget that HE DOESN’T FORGET.
2 Timothy:8 starts out by telling us to “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead…” Paul describes Verses 11-13 soon after as a “trustworthy saying” ::
“If we die with him, we’ll live with him;
If we stick it out with him, we’ll rule with him;
If we turn our backs on him, he’ll turn his back on us;
If we give up on him, he does not give up—
for there’s no way he can be false to himself.”
It seems to have been a helpful poem or hymn to help us remember when we forget.
You forgot that God sticks by you and remembers you? Well tie that string around your finger, and remember! LOOK and see that the Word says He does not give up on you!
That’s what I have been clinging to as the months dwindle and I begin to imagine all of the temporary goodbyes I will soon say. So I will promptly go tie strings around the fingers of all the ones I love. Kidding. Sort of.
I will tie the virtual string around my finger and remember that I am the one Jesus loves. He won’t forget me.
His string was tied on long ago, permanently knotted and never able to unravel. That string ain’t goin’ nowhere. You aren’t forgotten.
