Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent
As I read through Moses’ warning to the Israelite people, I could not help but feel as if he were speaking these words directly to me. As they entered the land they were to occupy, he told them, “However, take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children's children” Deuteronomy 4:9.
It is so easy for us to forget the blessings the Lord has given us or let slip from our mind the ways He has impacted our lives. For me personally I find that I reach out to the Lord and pray fervently when I am in the middle of a crisis or a challenge. And in these moments, I see God working. I see His goodness impacting me in so many ways. Yet, as soon as I am out of that time of crisis and I settle back into normal life, I can so easily forget who I have to thank for my many blessings. My prayer life decreases. I have let God’s goodness slip from my memory.
I love that Moses offers us a solution as he tells us to continue to talk about the miracles we have seen, share the moments of God’s goodness with others - specifically with our children and their children. For our faith to continue to pass from generation to generation we need to share our moments of blessings and sorrow with our children. Framing our own life story, not in terms of random accidents that happened along the way, but in terms of how we have seen God’s goodness impacting us can be a very powerful witness to our children.
Right before New Years, a friend recommended keeping a jar in your house in which you record the many blessings you experience throughout the year. Then on New Year’s Eve you read together all of the ways the Lord has blessed you. I am trying this practice this year. The simple act of writing and recording the blessings has made me so much more aware of and grateful for these moments each day, and I cannot wait to read through our jar of blessings with my family on New Year’s Eve! May we all stay on our guard so as not to forget the miracles we see each and every day. Amen.
—AJ Grimm