Remembering and rejoicing

     I can't believe I forgot!  Well, actually I can, since I've always been a pretty good "forgetter"--and old age has only enhanced this not very useful skill. Sure, some things we need to forget...like old injuries, old bad habits, old hurts and misunderstandings.  We need to let them go, release them like a ballon into the wild blue yonder and move into God's amazing grace.  After all, isn't that what He did for us on the Calvary?  By Jesus' death on the cross, God took our sins and cast them into the impenetrable, deepest depths of the ocean and put up sign: "No Fishing Forever! Love, God."  O thank You for removing and forgetting our sins, Father!
     But there are lots of things we need to remember.  Remember His Word...for as D.L.Moody said, "The Bible will keep you from sin; or sin will keep you from the Bible."  Remember His forgiveness...and freely forgive others since we have been forgiven so immeasurably much more than we will ever be asked to forgive.  Remember His amazing grace...and extend grace, rejoice in grace, live by grace.  Remember His love...and that we are God's beloved...the apple of His eye. O my, try to get over that one--or as Max Lucado says, "If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it!"  Remember His power...and that all things, ALL things, are possible with God.  Remember His holiness...and keep short accounts with our sin by coming to the throne of grace in repentance and gratitude.
    When we forget, we fret.  But when we remember, we rejoice.
     We just studied yesterday Paul's words in Philippians, but somehow I completely missed that little word, "Remember"--"I thank my God every time I remember you." (1:3)  And over and over again, God's Word links remembering with rejoicing.
     At the last supper, at the end, Jesus joins them--remember and thanking: "And when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, 'This is My body which is for you.  Do this in remembrance of Me." (I Cor.11:24)
     When we remember God's faithfulness and goodness to us in the past, when we remember His greatness and His character, when we remember what the Lord Jesus has done, then we rejoice and are thankful.
      So, to make a long story short (but when have I ever done that?): I forgot to get out our family's thanksgiving book.  We started in November of 1995, and here's the first page--

       On the left side is Janie's masterpiece of thanksgiving (she was one at the time) and on the other Mary Norris (5 at the time) writes in her own large hand--"I am thankful for God."  Well, that just about covers it.
      Of course, the list includes a few less exalted items--like "I'm thankful for Squeaky Mouse" (Richard--aged 3) or "I'm thankful for clowns" (also Richard) or "I'm thankful when I couldn't find my tooth and God helped me to find it" (Mary Norris--obviously concerned about the tooth fairy).       We also have entries thanking God for grapes, for bagels, for chocolate cake (food is a big theme of gratitude in our house), for the Tarheels winning a football game, for a good night's sleep (that would be mom), for a new house, for new babies, and for being on the "Happy Apple" at school (meaning good behavior).
      Then there's thankfulness for my parents going home to be with the Lord (some thankfulness is hard, isn't it?), for healing broken bones, for learning to wait on God, for college, for wonderful teachers, for bringing Matt into Mary Norris' life (getting married in a few months!), for God's grace and forgiveness and on and on. We also had a lot of entries thanking God for our sweet old dog, Moses.  Boy, we miss him--but we remember and rejoice that God gave him to us.
     I was struck by the very first entry from last year on Nov.1 "I am thankful to be able to walk again!" (Janie)  I had written a few days later, "Thank You, Lord, for saving and healing Janie from that wreck and brain injury. We see her wheelchair sitting in the hall [waiting to be returned to the hospital] and it is a reminder of Your incredible power, mercy, and grace.  Thank You, Lord!"  It occurs to me that this is a tiny foretaste of heaven, isn't it?  No more need for wheelchairs or hospitals or caskets or seeing eye dogs or divorce courts or nursing homes or orphanages or empty places at the table or tears.  Never again.  There's something worth remembering and rejoicing about with great joy.
     Sometimes we forget, don't we?  So simple, yet so profound--to remember, write it down...because we are all pretty good forgetters.  But gratitude springs out of remembering.
     Thanks for reminding me Lord...and for Your infinite grace and Your relentless love.  O Father, help us to remember...and then rejoice.
     To God be the glory.