I Forget.

The word remember appears 233 times in the NIV translation. 103 of those (44.2%) reference a remembering of the LORD in one way or another, or a call to remember what God had done for us. (i.e. Deut 8:18, Deut 15:15, Ps 119:52, 2 Cor 9:6, 2 Tim 2:8 to name a few.) It is best seen when the Israelites are commanded "to remember" in Deuteronomy a total 15 times, all of which are a call to not forget the LORD and to remember what He has done.

The root word male has a meaning of "the remembering one" (Gen 1:27). Man was created from the dust and with the breath of God himself to display His image alone. Both male and female were created with a purpose of remembering. They were to be walking, talking, breathing, monuments in remembrance of God.

Remembering is a major theme in the bible. Because of that, about a year ago I decided to make remembering a major theme in my life as well. Ever since I made that goal to remember, all I find myself doing is forgetting. It makes we wonder just how much I was forgetting before and not realizing it.

In the third chapter of the first book of the bible, nearly the first record of Adam and Eve, we see them not remembering, but forgetting. They, who were created to remember, forget. That event set into motion a generational domino effect of innate forgetfulness. We've been forgetting ever since, and God has been calling us back to Him, to return to Him, to remember Him.

You and I are created to remember, yet we have the (un)natural habit of forgetting.

Perhaps that is why the ancient Jews wrote things on their doorframes and gates, tied symbols on their wrists and foreheads, meditated on scripture day and night, memorized the entire Torah, carried small boxes (phylacteries) with scripture in them, recognized the Sabbath, taught scripture to their children, sang songs of remembrance, had celebration feasts, carried banners, took Communion, and made piles of rocks to remember special places.

We love God by remembering. We love others by remembering. We are created to remember. We are created to remind each other. There are some close friends of mine that when I am with them, they remind me of God. The remind me of God because they are constantly reminding me of the truth. Do know people like that? Do you aspire to be that person?

We are fallible and finite. We will forget, over and over again. Sin is distracting and attractive and it draws us away from truth. If you live life without constant reminders of truth, you will live a forgettable life. Don't let that happen.

In our wretchedness we forget, but we serve a God who doesn't forget. Give thanks "to the One who remembered us in our low estate, His love endures forever." (Ps 136:23, emphasis added)

Don't forget that. I will help you remember. Will you help me remember?