Forgetting

Judges 2:7, 10 – 11 reflects well the richness of the Bible.  It does not sugar coat the realities of humanity yet hints at a path through our fog.  This is a people who saw astounding things.  12 plagues rained upon Egypt, Red Sea parted, God on the Mountain, pillars of cloud and fire leading the nation, Jericho, the conquest of Canaan – astonishing, incredible stuff that many today will not believe actually happened it is so fantastic.  They lived it.  They forgot it.  Quickly.  We do it too.  John Eldredge says he wakes up each morning as a practical agnostic, having forgotten what Christ has done for him and needing to have his relationship with the Savior renewed.  I echo John’s experience.  If I do not choose to engage in that renewal, if I do not choose to remember, I find that I am not in for a very good day.

In the past seven years I have found that keeping a journal has really helped that process.  Yeah, I know.  I have had more men than I can count tell me that they are not the journaling kind.  Neither was I.  I went through about 7 – 10 failed attempts at keeping one.  But the facts are we chafe at anything that is new that takes time and effort.  Think about anything that you have done that is worthwhile, it has taken effort and you were bad at it before you were good at it.  Same thing here.  Like Nike says, “Just Do It!”  I still have the failed attempts, even those have proved helpful as I have re-read what I wrote in them.  Do make it complicated, just write down what is going on in your life and how you are processing it with the Lord.  Record your conversations with Him.  How you think he is leading you.  Later when you go back over them you will learn much about how your relationship with the Lord is and has progressed.

Those of you who are engaged in this discipline, please add your thoughts to encourage the brethren here…