April 29th

What a wonderful gift God has given us in memory! Being able to recall and relive past events and experiences and enjoy them all over again! Squirrels and jays may be able to remember where they buried their acorns; dogs know their owners’ scent and can be trained to sniff out drugs and even virus infections, but humans can remember in detail and even write their memoirs. This came home to me recently when I needed to refer to the diary I kept on a visit back to Congo in 2002, 18 years ago.

I wrote then day by day and in great detail, and when I started re-reading the whole month-long account, I found I could picture journeys, places, people and experiences. I was transported back to Congo, the frustrations of daily living and the joy of being with friends ­­– even one particular sermon I preached there – all because God has given us memory.

How is it with you, these restricted days? Have you tried looking through your holiday photograph albums or travel diaries and being taken back from today’s frustrations to the freedoms we have enjoyed.

God, of course gave us memory for a purpose – His purpose. How often He says in the Bible, “Remember to keep my covenant and my laws”, and Jesus commands us “Do this in remembrance of me”. Which reminds us that God gives us memory so we can do something. So what will we let our memories prompt us to do today?

Lesley Fuller