As a mom, I am the “rememberer” of all things most of the time. I often can be heard telling my children on school mornings, “Don’t forget your piano bag,” “Don’t forget your PE bag,” “Don’t forget your nap bag,” or sometimes, “Don’t forget your lunch.” Occasionally, I even remind my husband of certain things. However, several times I have been the “forgetter” of the important things: the unsigned paper, the phone left on my dresser or desk, or the item I was supposed to pick up from the store that we needed to make dinner.
In life, there are many things we need to remember, and try as we might, we will not remember all of them. Deuteronomy 4:9 admonishes us, Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; Even the Bible reminds us that it is possible for us to forget the things God has done for us. In the day-to-day grind of “remembering all the things,” we can lose sight of how God has blessed us. In Deuteronomy 4:23, we again are told, Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God,… Deuteronomy 6:12 says, Then beware lest thou forget the LORD,…
Both of the verses in chapter 4 begin with a warning to take heed, while the verse in chapter 6 reminds us to beware. “Take heed” means to pay attention to something and to be careful about it. I do not think I ever have forgotten something on purpose. I have forgotten things only because I just was not paying attention to the right thing. It is easy to get so busy that we forget to pay attention to the things that matter most. The story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10 comes to mind when I think about someone who was too busy. Martha, I believe, was like most moms who have a mental to-do list—laundry, dishes, lunches, cleaning—that never seems to end. Martha was so busy in her tasks that she failed to spend time with One Who could give her the strength to accomplish them.
We must take heed not to forget what God has done for us. Our “taking heed” could be writing His blessings in a journal as a reminder. It could be talking about His goodness with our children to, like the verse says, …teach them thy sons,… If we share what God has done with our children, it will help us to remember and will strengthen the faith of our children. I know when I look back at what God has brought our family through, it makes me that much more sure of His faithfulness.
We must take heed not to forget God’s covenant with us. God has promised eternal life to those who have trusted in Christ. Let us make time to remember how He saved us when we were lost and undeserving. Then, let us make time to tell others about Him so they can have that same assurance of Heaven.
In remembering “all the things” today, don’t forget the most important thing: to remember all He has done!
by Vicki Voorhis