When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. (Ps. 106:7)
FORGETFULNESS OFTEN STRIKES at the most awkward moment. You may be introducing a new friend to an old friend, when you forget the old friend’s name. You may be addressing a group of people, when suddenly you lose your train of thought. Or you may be serving dinner to guests, when halfway through the meal it occurs to you that you forgot to remove the dinner rolls from the heated oven. Only the smell of burning bread reactivates your memory.
Embarrassment gripped a pastor at a committal service, when he forgot the name of the deceased. As he said, “We commit to the ground the body of . . .” only the name of the president of his denomination came to mind, so he used it.
We may improve our memory by playing word games, working crossword puzzles, following a healthful diet, getting adequate sleep, and using memory techniques, but moments of forgetfulness are bound to occur. Usually, those moments are harmless, but forgetting God and His blessings is injurious to our spiritual health. Such forgetfulness disrupts our fellowship with Him, steals our joy, and quenches the Spirit. We ought to rehearse past blessings daily and be thankful for them.
Compile a list of the blessings God has given you in the past week, and give thanks for each of them.
Jim Dyet was born in Scotland and grew up in Canada. Married fifty-six years, he and Gloria live in Colorado Springs, where Jim enjoys golf and daily walks with their dogs.
