Don’t Forget to Remember

by Christa Flannery

Do you ever have moments of nostalgia? I feel like the past weeks have been full of remembering for my family.

For Valentine's Day, Brian and I visited an old coffee shop where we used to sit and read books together when we were dating. There, we sifted through some of the love letters that we wrote to each other when I spent a month overseas. We also went to a little Thai restaurant and recalled the two weeks we spent in Southeast Asia when we were newly married and pregnant with our first child. Lana (that one) and I have also had fun sifting through photos and old videos. We have looked through wedding albums and movies, baby books, family albums and talked about all the most joyous moments of our lives.

Once upon a time (not so long ago) we have celebrated great things: new love, grand adventures from opposite sides of the world, marriage, our first child (followed now by four more), birthdays, family reunions... the list goes on and on. Our life has been full and full of joy.

Yet in the midst of the day-to-day all of these fond memories are easily forgotten. It's easy to focus on the muck of a hard week or even just an average one. Whether it's just runny noses, dirty diapers, dishes, and laundry, and senseless disputes or ear infections, pink eye, sinus infections, stomach flu and the worst fights you've had in five years, it's not really that we forget, but that we've forgotten to remember.

The same is often true of my relationship with God. Sometimes I feel like we're an old couple who has settled into the routine of life. It's comfortable and it's there, but is it as alive and passionate as it once was? How could I forget the time that He revealed himself to be endlessly gracious, the Father who welcomes us home after many wayward wanderings? And how could I forget the time that at the end of my hope He heard and gave me all that I could have hoped for?

Then there are times when I stop and remember. I remember the different lessons that God has taught me and where He has brought me from. He becomes my first love all over again.

Whether we're speaking of marriage, or life raising young kids, or your relationship with the almighty God, I have found that it is important to stop and remember. There is nothing that helps you fall in love again more than remembering your first kiss, the first time you held that beautiful baby or the first time you realized that the same God who created the world longs for a relationship with you.

When I find myself complacent, all it takes is looking back and seeing how deeply I have loved and been loved. All of the emotions come rushing back and I find that after 3 years, 5 years, 20 years, (while it may look a little different) I still love my children, my husband and my God as much, if not more, than I did at the beginning.

The other important reason to remember? I have also found that in the midst of hardship and struggles it is often remembering that carries us through.

Looking back through baby books, I rarely recall the sleepless nights or endless screaming - but rather the first smiles, laughs and steps. Life going forward (especially pertaining to raising kids) is always more painful to travel through. When you're on the other side looking back you remember the joy and little pain. It seems like each day has taken forever, and looking back it will feel like we've blinked and missed it.

Looking back at our wedding day, I remember the vows that Brian and I said, how in love we were and how simple we thought marriage would be. While it's not always easy, looking back I see that we made a promise that we will spend the rest of our lives following through. Our love looks different, we're a little less naive -- but the commitment is the same.

Looking back at where God has brought me from reminds me that He is faithful. No matter how hard life has been, how lost I've been, how blind, how enslaved, God has always been faithful. Prayer after prayer has been heard and answered, wounds have been healed and God has proven to be constant. In the midst of current struggles, I can remember and know that God has not changed. He has saved me in the past and He will be faithful always. It doesn't always look the way we want it, but history has also proven that God knows best.

Take this week to remember with me...