Part 12

My family and I were at the lake a few weekends ago celebrating my son’s birthday. I was sitting on the back porch early one morning reading, and just enjoying time to reflect on my life when two fishermen came by bass fishing. When I saw them something immediately resonated in my soul. It wasn’t the people, or their boat, or that I wished I was the one fishing; it was nostalgia, it sparked memories. 

I grew up fishing with my dad. Some of my fondest times with him were fishing on Lake West Point. We would get up early and drive, stop at the Huddle House to eat, and be on the water before the sun came up. It was great. Some days we would catch a lot, and some days we wouldn’t catch a thing, but we were always together fishing. Inside of me something was growing, a love of fishing and wonderful memories; something which will be with me the rest of my life. 

I enjoy taking my son fishing now. We go when it’s cooler outside. We go trout fishing and someday want to go to Alaska for salmon fishing. He loves it. And he is good at it. Something is growing inside of him also. Something which one day, when he is sitting on the back porch reflecting on life, will resonate with him also. We are making memories. 

I don’t think I can explain the feeling I got on the back porch. It was a feeling something was “right” with those guys fishing. It was a “I should be fishing” feeling. I get the same thing when it comes to hunting, or camping, or anything I loved to do when I was a kid. It is like there is something inside of me that knows I am supposed to do “that”, it’s in my soul. It’s part of me. Something in me remembers those times and longs to feel that again. 

I think you know the feeling I am talking about. It’s a feeling you get when you see something that feels like you were made to do “that”. Whatever “that” is. Maybe when you go to a football game you can feel the game coming back from childhood. Or maybe when you watch someone play the piano it takes you back to where you know you are meant to be. It’s strange, you can’t put a finger on it, but it’s there. That feeling is sparked by memories. 

Experiences make memories, and memories shape our life. History, our history, shapes everything about us. It makes us into the person we are. It shapes what we love, what we don’t love, how we react to people. Memory is a motivator. You can act on faith when you have memories. For instance I will fish one spot longer than another if I have had good luck in that spot in the past, because I have a memory in that spot.  

Memories also make that which we can’t see easier to believe. For instance, I love to go ride my mountain bike at Bull Mountain. There is a creek crossing there I have been over many times. In the middle of the creek there is a deep channel that will suck your tire under and throw you over the handlebars. However, there is one rock there in the middle; if you hit that rock just right it makes a bridge to scoot right across. I was recently riding up there after a rainy day. When I got to the creek crossing the water was up and muddy.  I could not see the rock, but I knew it was there; I had a memory of it being there. Without hesitation I went right across. Someone who had never been there would have gotten off and walked because they would not have known the rock was there. My memory gave me trust to have an experience. 

We also have a faith memory. It is the things God has done in our lives which brought about change. The thing about your faith memory however, is you are more apt to forget those. You are more apt to write those off because they are spiritual instead of physical. It’s easy to speak about seeing the fishermen reminding me of my dad and our memories; it’s quite different to tell about an experience with Jesus changing my life. I think what can happen is in the spiritual realm there is more room for doubt, or it's easier to forget because it isn't necessarily tangible. I can see the rock in the creek but I can’t see the Rock that leads me through my life. I can feel the rock under my tire but I can’t physically feel the Rock that I stand on every day. This can create a problem. 

So many times I think about the Israelites. I feel like they were idiots in a lot of ways. Think about it, God delivers them out of Egypt in a mighty and miraculous way. He not only gets them out of Egypt, they plunder the Egyptians as they are leaving. They take their gold and silver with them when they go. And when the Egyptians pursue them, God not only parts the Red Sea so Israel can walk across on dry land, he collapses the sea on Pharaoh and his army and kills them all. Now I don’t know about you, but I would consider that little story a miraculous deliverance! That would make one heck of a memory. You would think Israel would learn to trust God from it . . . you would think. 

As soon as Israel gets across the sea they start to complain and doubt. They complained about water, (Ex 15:24) they complained about food (Ex 16:2-3). Every time God provided and then Israel would find something else to complain about. Even after all of these miracles when it came time to take the promise land Israel decided the task was too big, even though God told them he would give them victory (Num 14). You would think after all this Israel would have all the faith in the world, you would think the memories they had would produce faith. 

Moses was constantly telling the people, “Remember the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt.” Over and over again in the Old Testament there was a calling to remember. When you remember you literally re – memory. You recall memories from the past. Moses was asking Israel to recall the memories of what God had done in the past and trust him to do it again. When faced with monumental tasks, Moses called them to remember. He wants them to rest in what God has already done so they can trust he can do it again. 

I find this at work in me. I am an idiot as well. I know what God has done. I have seen him provide when I had no idea where provision would come from. I have seen him heal when healing seemed impossible. I have seen him repair relationships when it seemed all was lost. Over and over I have seen God at work. But I still find myself doubting. I find myself thinking, “That was then, this is now” kind of thoughts. But if I will get still long enough I can feel myself get calm. I can feel the memories bringing me peace. 

It’s the times when God came through that will bring you the strength to take the next step forward. Many people get stagnant in their faith. They sit still. They don’t want to move forward. Because they forget. They forget all God has done and therefore lose sight of all he wants to do. God has worked in your life. He is also working and also wants to keep working until you are complete in Christ Jesus. Some of the steps God may ask you to take are scary. Some of the steps God may ask you to do seem crazy, like crossing a sea he promises to part, but the fact remains memories will get you through. Memories of what God has already done and can do. 

Sometimes when I leave these posts I feel as if I leave you empty handed, so today I want to give you something practical to do. I want you to go get a spiral notebook. I think they are 99 cents at Kroger. I want you to write down every time in your life when you remember God doing something. Then, daily, I want you to write the things God continues to do in your life. Because when things go bad, when faith seems to get thin, you can go back to memories, times when you and your Heavenly Daddy went fishing together, times when the Rock was in the center of the creek, and the peace of God can flow through you and relieve your anxiety.