Hey Christian: we’ve forgotten how to Remember
Actually, this title is a bit too generous, as a precondition for “forgetting” something is to have known it previously. With this in mind, a more accurate title would have probably been:
Hey Christian: we never learned to remember, in the first place.
This isn’t any average sort of remembrance I am referring to, either. I’m not talking about remembering your spouse’s favorite color, or what you ate for dinner last night…I am referring to “Remembrance” (with a capital ‘R’)— remembering God; who He is , what He is, and where and how He has moved in your life.
The early followers of Yahweh faced many of the same human challenges that we do today with distractions, idols and sin, but a core difference (as it relates to Remembrance, at least), was that they had very direct instruction from God/His prophets to both construct physical reminders of God’s presence in their lives (in the form of large piles of stones), as well as repeated communal instruction from their socio-political leaders to remember what God had done for them. (Interestingly enough 70% of all 253 occurrences of the word “remember” in the bible can be found in the Old Testament.) Early followers of Yaweh also had daily, weekly, monthly and annual rituals (like Passover) that forced them into a space of communal remembrance.
Fast forward to today and these stone memorials have long since toppled, these commandments to remember and reflect on God’s provision in the wilderness are often glossed over, and we also have social media, the internet and non-stop, in your face distraction to contend with. How are we to Remember the Lord considering all these modern hindrances we now have to contend with? Feels a bit hopeless, doesn’t it?
Yeah, it really does.
But then as Christians we remember that the same God who formed galaxies dwells within us, and that “with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)
So, before we get to work on this topic (and we have some work to do, by the way), I think it’s important to pause and answer the question “OK, so what? Why is Remembrance (with a capital ‘R’) worth fussing over?” I’ll let a personal story begin my attempt to answer to this question.
A quick note on Jesus and the New Testament
Before we dive in I want to preemptively draw attention to the Elephant in the room: I’m not going to talk about the New Testament, or even Jesus, very much in this article. Gasp! This is NOT because Jesus, or the NT writers didn’t care about Remembrance. They cared a great deal about it, in fact. See Luke 22:19, John 14:26, Luke 1:69–73, John 12:16, Revelation 3:3, and so on. The reason I am focusing so specifically on the OT, and even more specifically on Moses, is because this was a major theme for the Israelites, and for whatever reason God felt it was especially important that His early people focus on this discipline, above many others. Remember, Jesus came to fulfill the law and prophets (Matthew 5:17–20), so all this OT scripture we are going to dig into is fulfilled and even more fully realized in Christ. The OT holds a particularly powerful model for us to follow, which is what I am really focused on exploring in this article. Ok, enough disclaimer — I was about to explain why Remembrance (Capital ‘R’) matters, at all.
So what?
It’s 10PM at night, and I’m sitting on the couch fuming. The baby monitor is next to me and I’m grinding my teeth in frustration. Every 15 minutes for the last hour and a half my young daughters (ages 5 and 2) scream bloody murder, get in a fight with each other, storm downstairs demanding to see Mommy (sometimes Daddy…but normally Mommy), after which I forcefully lift them up, carry them up to their room, explain why we need them to stay in their beds, and then come back downstairs and attempt to salvage the now seemingly ruined 1:1 time with my wife. She gives me a lot of grace, but as she watches my temper rise to dangerous levels, she finally speaks up:
“Why are you so mad?”
I start to grunt out anger-sounds that barely resemble human words, trying to explain how frustrating the constant interruption is, how I deserve this rest after a long day of work and parenting…but then the strangest thing happens: I’m suddenly sitting across the couch from myself, sitting next to my wife, listening to me speak, and this other-me can’t help but shake his head at how backwards my argument is. It’s not that my circumstances weren’t frustrating — they were, and most people would be irritated, too. But I wasn’t just irritated. I was furious.
Why?
After a few more minutes of introspection the truth hits me with surprising force. I was so consumed in what was wrong with my evening that I was spending 0% of my mental/emotional energy reflecting on what was so, so right. Here I am in the United States, pouting on my expensive couch in my large, comfortable home complete with electricity, air conditioning, heating, clean water, a fridge so overflowing of food that we won’t even be able to eat all of it before it spoils, watching television as my two beautiful, healthy God-given little girls complain about how they can’t go to sleep yet because they want to spend time with their mom and dad.
I was so consumed with what was wrong with my evening that I was spending 0% of my mental/emotional energy reflecting on what was so, so right.
The saddest part of this story is that as much as I wanted to behave differently the next evening…I still found the same struggle waiting for me.
WHY?!
I’d like to re-propose this truth…a truth that I have become so convicted by that I am spending all of my free time, energy and money building an app/company designed to expose and correct (more on the app at the end of the article):
We never learned how to remember, in the first place.
The “butterfly effect” of forgetfulness
Have you heard of the “butterfly effect”? It’s the idea that through a slow, gradual domino-effect of one thing leading to another, a butterfly flapping its wings in one part of the world will lead to a typhoon in another part of the word. In some ways I see this same “chain of worsening effects” when I analyze how forgetfulness impacts our lives. Let’s start with the butterfly flapping its wings, and see what kind of typhoon forgetfulness ultimately creates.
If we don’t Remember, we don’t trust God.
Have you had any big, scary moments in your life recently? For my family it was the hospitalization and near-death of my one month old son. He ended up getting put on a ventilator for 2 weeks (I will be sharing Breck’s story in a future article), and at multiple points we thought we were going to lose him. My immediate, natural human response was to doubt God amidst my fear. In the dread of the moment all I saw were oxygen and vital stats worsening, doctors and nurses running in and out with a heart-dropping hurry, and a big question mark hanging over our heads as to whether or not we would see our infant son again. Like a shadow, doubt filled every crevice of my heart and mind. You know what wasn’t my immediate reaction? Trusting God, despite my circumstances, because of His promises and repeated historical demonstrations of how He has walked with my family. When we start from a place of Remembrance, trust in God will be the outflow, even if it comes slowly and painfully at first (I should mention this is in no way a critique on mourning in times of pain — Jesus himself was a “man of sorrows” and is with us in our grief.)
If we don’t trust God, we don’t live in hope.
If we do not place our trust in God, where do we place it? In ourselves? Our abilities? The world around us? It’s sinking sand. This leads to fear, despair, and ultimately no longer placing our hope in God.
“If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’ you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. So will the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.” (Deuteronomy 7:17–19)
If we don’t hope in God, we don’t put others first
Someone living in despair does not spend their time thinking about others. Hopelessness naturally turns us inward, until we have become completely self-absorbed. This is the beauty of the Gospel — it frees us from the burden of all this destructive self-obsession, and allows us to trust God to care for us while we in turn care for those around us.
If we don’t put others first, we can’t show others the God’s goodness
Now we begin to see the true danger of living a life void of Remembrance. Our witness is fundamentally damaged. This gets to the root of the question, “what makes a Christian different?”. We are different because through the assurance we have in our salvation and the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to live amidst a drifting world, tethered to Truth, which is fundamentally attractive to the human spirit (this doesn’t mean people will not fight against you — they will!)
If we don’t show other’s God’s goodness, we will not prepare the next generation
Time and time again throughout scripture God makes it clear how much he cares about family, legacy and generational faithfulness. There is very little any of us can do on this earth that is more impactful than ministering to our children, and our community, showing them God’s love and preparing them to live firmly rooted, radiant lives.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4–9)
As you can see, this concept of “generational faithfulness” is incredibly close to God’s heart, and as you read through the Bible you will quickly see that it is central to God’s plan for world-wide restoration.
Ok, ok, ok…so it is clear forgetfulness creates a lot of problems, but we still haven’t addressed how to actually overcome this. Thankfully, we’ve got a lot of biblical direction here.
Learning to Remember
Before we dive in here, I want to remind you that this isn’t a new problem. The books of Exodus and Deuteronomy are particularly enlightening, as we see God’s chosen people literally walking through parted seas, drinking water from rocks, eating bread and meat that rains from heaven, and still consistently doubting God and turning away from Him. It’s easy to look at them and think we modern humans are some how more developed than these primitive early followers of Yahweh, but the reality is we have the same broken hearts and fractured minds within us.
I want to turn specifically to the book of Deuteronomy as we look at how God through Moses instructs the Chosen people to fight forgetfulness.
Here are what I believe to be the 4 key points of instruction from Deuteronomy that if followed, can lead to a life of remembrance:
1. Living in Obedience
“Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and statues…” (Deuteronomy 8: 11)
I had to do a double take when I read this. Read it closely, again, and look at the word order:
“Take care lest you forget the Lord your God BY NOT keeping his commandments and his rules and statutes…” (My emphasis.)
The idea here (in my opinion) is that by not obeying God we risk forgetting Him.
What?
This is the opposite of how I assumed things worked — I would think that when we forget God THEN we would forget His commandments, but here God is saying that IF we stop obeying his commandments, THEN we will forget Him.
As strange as this might seem at first, it becomes increasingly clear the more you reflect on why God wants us to obey his commandments, in the first place. Think on the 10 commandments (which were referenced a few verses prior in Deuteronomy) — why did God go out of his way to give us these list of rules? In short, it was because He knew we needed a lot of help remaining in right relationship with Him and with each other. The Shalom of God, the peace of God that he desires to exist between men and with God is impossible to achieve if we are not living in harmony with Him.
The Shalom of God, the peace of God that he desires to exist between men and with God is impossible to achieve if we are not living in harmony with Him.
Alternatively, through obedience to God and His commandments we are enabled to live in close communion with Him and those around us, and it is through this proximity to God that we are better able to consistently recall His goodness and mercies.
(Let me be clear — in no way am I saying that we need to live a life of good works to have God’s mercy. Through Christ we are saved from our sin regardless of our works. What I am saying is that even after we become Christians we still have the ability to disobey God, and in doing so make it harder to live in close community with those around us.)
2. Recording and reflecting before, during and after our trials
Deuteronomy 6 begins with with an emphasis on what is God’s greatest commandment — “to love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might”, but interestingly enough the entire rest of the chapter is Moses simply telling the Israelites to not forget this truth/commandment. In fact, if you read closely you can see that Moses is actually saying something much more extreme than simply “don’t forget”.
“Don’t forget” is a seemingly passive phrase — it’s like saying “don’t loose your keys”. Most of us do not actively choose to loose our keys, it just happens. The same can be said of forgetfulness — we just happen to forget things, seemingly on accident. None of us “choose to forget”…right?
Moses would disagree.
To me this is one of the most enlightening parts of this entire passage, and it has completely changed how I view “remembrance” all together.
“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:6–9)
Does that sound passive to you? Nope. Moses is calling for extreme intentionality on the part of the Israelites. He is calling for them to make the act of Remembrance a daily rhythm, akin to brushing teeth, or eating lunch.
Not only is Moses calling the Israelites to extreme intentionality, but he is also calling them to get ready to remember the amazing things that God will do, that haven’t even happened yet! He is calling them to prepare to remember.
He is calling them to prepare to remember.
“And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers…then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Deuteronomy 6:10–12)
Once more, this time with my emphasis.
“AND WHEN the Lord your God BRINGS you into the land that he swore to your fathers…THEN take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Deuteronomy 6:10–12)
The Israelites haven’t made it to the Promised land, yet. They are still on the other side of God’s provision in many ways. They are in the wilderness, with miles of harsh land, fast moving waters and hostile clans between them and this promised blessing.
Zooming out now, we can see a simply but profound truth that (I hope) is now glaringly obvious to you:
We are to build repetitive rhythms of intentional remembrance and reflection during, after and even before our blessings and trials.
We are to build repetitive rhythms of intentional remembrance and reflection during, after and even before our blessings and trials.
3. Remembering the big and small
I’ll keep this one short and sweet. In Deuteronomy 4 we see a really subtle reminder to remember the big and small.
“And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that…your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years.” (Deuteronomy 8:2-4).
I just love this. Right after Moses commands the Israelites to not forget how God has rained bread from heaven and led them with a towering vortex of flame, he tells them to remember how he helped their feet not swell.
Take a moment and put yourself in their shoes (pun intended!). Think of the ridiculous miracles you have witnessed — some of the greatest acts that God has ever done on the earth. Now imagine you are standing before Moses as he delivers this speech…and in the same breath that he tells you to remember how God provided mana from heaven, he tells you to remember how your clothes didn’t wear out and your feet didn’t swell. These are two very different things. One is an over-the-top, once in a lifetime miracle, and the other feels, well…kind of mundane. But now imagine hearing these words and pausing to reflect on the last forty years, and imagine you realize that…wow…your feet didn’t get as worn out as they probably should have. You start to think more about it…man, why didn’t I end up with more sores? Sure, it’s less flashy than the other miracles you witnessed, but God was just as present and active.
The idea here is simple. Don’t just record and reflect on the big moments. Both ends of the scale show God’s provision, and sometimes it’s these little “Pebbles of Presence” that can overtime tell a very big story.
Don’t just record and reflect on the big moments. Both ends of the scale show God’s provision, and sometimes it’s these little “Pebbles of Presence” that can overtime tell a very big story.
4. Living in Community
The last truth I want to extract from this scripture is one that I missed at first. Here it is:
The Israelites needed Moses to tell them to remember.
Let’s imagine an alternate reality where Moses didn’t exist and there was no communal exhortation to stop and reflect on God’s goodness. Do you think this would have magically happened within the life of all these individuals, who were so caught up in the daily challenges and stresses of their journey? I don’t think so.
Alternatively, we can imagine another reality where Moses DID exist, but his big speech consisted of “everyone, go into your tent and just generally reflect on what God has done in your life”. What do you think…would the Israelites have ended up a the same spot? Nope. I don’t think so.
Here’s the bottom line:
We cannot do this alone.
Instead what we see is Moses taking the time to painstakingly construct a communal tapestry of God’s goodness and then using this as a means to encourage and instruct.
Making this a reality in your life
OK, time to land the plane. The good news is that taking these truths and ingratiating them into your life and the life of your family/community is actually pretty simple. You’ve given me a lot of your time already, so I will provide these “rapid fire” style, drawing on these four key points from Deuteronomy:
Practice P-S-R
Throughout these passages, Moses has been showing us three key ways we should go about building Rhythms or Remembrance that will actually stick/work: Persistence, Specificity, and Repetition.
Throughout these passages, Moses demonstrates three key pillars to developing a Rhythm of Remembrance: Persistence, Specificity, and Repetition.
He is persistent: Constantly reminding them to remember — working to build a communal rhythm
He is specific: He doesn’t speak in generalities about the goodness of God. He calls out specific moments that the people can remember and relate to — there is a visual and sensory memory associated with these
He is repetitive: He describes the SAME moments over and over again. Some of these moments were massive foundational pillars of their communal Remembrance, like the Red Sea and the release from slavery, and Moses wanted to make sure these were unforgettable for the people.
Call out the forgetfulness in your life
Like any problem, you can’t address it unless you realize the problem exists. Use this article as a means to share this concept with your friends and family, and collectively decide to do something about it.
Live in obedience
As we have discussed living in obedience to God creates Shockwaves of Shalom in your life and the lives of those around you — this is the fertile ground from which remembrance can grow. Study God’s word, let it convict your heart; live in a community that holds each other accountable to Truth; pray fervently that Yaweh would grow your obedience and wisdom.
Start recording
It’s simple. When you notice God doing something, big or small, write it down. Start simple, with a jar and strips of paper. If you find yourself amidst a trial, I challenge you to do this. He is moving. He is present with you.
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
If you wait until after the trial to record God’s goodness, you will forget some of what He has done. It’s also a beautiful act of obedience that will inevitably draw you closer to the heart of God.
Start reflecting
Every week, maybe on Sundays, take down that jar, pull the paper out, and read them out loud with your family and friends. Maybe grab a strip of paper once a day and spend the day meditating on that specific moment. The callout here is simple — just make daily remembrance as normal as brushing your teeth in the morning.
Start sharing
As you reflect, share with your community. Normalize talking about God’s movement in your life. Make it a thing that people start to expect when you open your mouth. Become a Moses to your community — reference the shared moments of God’s provision that your community can reflect on. Use this as a means to call people back into relationship with God and with each other. Remember, be persistent, specific and repetitive.
In Closing
I really, genuinely hope this helped you. It’s not too late to learn how to remember — it just takes intentionality and community.
If this is something you want to build into a consistent rhythm in your life, I have three final calls to action for you.
One: Start following Living Stones (this Publication!) on Medium. We are dedicated to helping the global Christian community build this Rhythm of Remembrance, and my hope is that both our articles and the app itself will be of great service to you.
Two: Consider sending your own story of God’s faithfulness to youarelivingstones@gmail.com, if you would like us to publish it! Stories of how God has moved in your life can be a major encouragement to others that are in desperate need of encouragement and hope.
Three: We are building a mobile app (Living Stones) that is designed to help you and your community do everything I just talked about above, with the power and convenience of your smart phone. It is currently in development, and if you would like to be the first to get early access to the app, as well as progress updates and more exclusive goodies, please go to livingstones.app and sign up by providing your email.
Stay tuned, and God bless.
John
