I have nightmares about forgetting appointments and arriving late. Along with that goes my fear of Alzheimer’s. Forgetfulness is one of my biggest sources of anxiety. It comes from a lifetime of ADHD(don’t ask me where my phone is) and years of dealing with a mom with dementia. Should I get dementia, I have given my children orders to put me in a care center and for my oldest to bring me chocolate, my middle child to smuggle in wine, and my youngest to bring me puppies. Yes, I have issues.

As a small child, church attendance for me was not an option. At least three times a week I faced the pulpit looking at a table carved with the words, “Do This in Remembrance of Me.” I don’t think remembering what God has brought us through and remembering what he has done for us was a suggestion. If you have endeavored to read through the Bible you have found many instances in which God tells his people to remember what he has carried them through. I don’t think that so much of our Bible is dedicated to remembering by accident. In the stories of the Old and New Testament, our God is a God who reminds us. He knows our penchant to forget and he is a patient Father.

I believe God wants us to remember in honesty and not put lipstick on the pig. The history in the Bible isn’t shined up the way we shine up our history, telling the story from the perspective of the victor and not the victim. The Bible gives an honest account of God and his children without polish, applause or idolizing. People in the Bible are just like us. They are victors and victims. They abuse and are abused. They make stupid mistakes and they pay dearly for them. Yet when they turn to God, he shows them the path back into his loving arms. He didn’t just tell us to remember the good stuff. He told us to remember when we rebelled and went through hardship. I have to remember my stupid decisions based on my own inflated ego. I must remember what happened because of my rebellion. I also remember how God gently brought me back into a relationship to him.

Proper remembrance requires honesty that may be painful. We must take a path down memory lane even if it is a filthy alley, a lonesome road, or a dark valley with no end in sight. I realize that trauma makes it hard to remember. If you have suffered trauma, ask God to reveal his hand holding you through the trauma. He was there in ways you didn’t recognize at the time. I know He rescued you because he rescues me. And He asked us to remember. So here is your reminder. You are welcome.