Tie a String on Your Finger!

This past week I've struggled spiritually. I really can't put my finger on a particular struggle, but I was panicing because I put myself out here as an example for Christ, and I was terrified that if I didn't get it together I would become more of a stumbling block than an inspiration:( Thankfully, as I was contemplating the battle that was raging in my soul on Saturday before we headed to church, I was reminded of another such battle in the ongoing war for my soul that is detailed in my book This Is My Story. The remembrance brought me into God's presence instantaneously reminding me also of how essential remembering is to progressing in one's walk with Christ! All through the Old Testament God admonishes the Israelites to remember or more commonly worded do not forget - Deuteronomy 5:15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and 1 Chronicles 16:12 Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgements he pronounced, O descendants of Israel his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones. Also, Deuteronomy 6:12 then when you eat and our satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I often wondered as a child after hearing the stories from the Old Testament how it was possible for the Israelites to get so off track in their walk with God so quickly after witnessing first-hand his awesome power when he freed them from Egypt with his wisdom and the plagues and the parting of the Red Sea, I mean, how, after walking through a canyon with walls of water that you saw form before your very eyes at God's direction, does one end up worshipping a golden statue of a calf instead of the one who had performed those great acts in your life? Quite simply, the answer is by failing to remember, but still, when one experiences something that awesome, how is it possible to forget it? I'll tell you what, it doesn't make sence to me, but I know its possible because God recorded this historical incident as a warning to us that its possible to get distracted and forget what we know without a doubt , so I choose to religiously adhere to this same warning also found in Deuteronomy 4:9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. I take this admonition so seriously in my own life that when I thought I might die during open-heart surgery I recorded a detailed account of all the ways in which God had worked in my life for my daughter Lili so that in my possible absence she might still know and love the awesome God that her mother encountered so personally in life. I believe this might be where we fall short as parents and Christians in today's society. We fail to relate to one another and the next generation the awesome ways God has worked in our lives. There are proofs of God's existence and the reality of a close personal relationship with him through Jesus Christ all around us, but we produce offspring who fail to realize this because we never point it out to them in our personal experience:) I'll tell you what, my Lili and any other child I encounter in this life is going to know about the great and awesome ways God has freed me from slavery and led me safely through trial after trial in this life with a fully satisfied and joyful soul because that is the inheritance I want to pass on to them, and I believe because God's word says its true that remembering is vital to maintaining a healthy and vibrant relationship with God, so I commit to providing anyone and everyone with something real, current, and relevant to remember...that's what I'm attempting to do with this blog...give you something to remember just in case you don't yet have Red Sea moments to recall from your own story of deliverance...you are most welcome to borrow mine until you do, and just so you know, if you don't already have a story of deliverance of your own, God is ready and willing pen in hand to write it...just start walking with him through Jesus Christ, and you will be well on your way to recognizing God's deliverance and prescence in your own life!