Memory Isn't a Solo Affair
“Kids, finish up and come eat breakfast!” The words slipped out of my mouth only to crash into the blank stares of my children. It was a fine request, and one that would have made perfect sense had it not been five o’clock in the evening. I quickly retracted my words and said the phrase my kids have grown to expect, “Oh right, I forgot. You know what I mean.”
Perhaps you’ve repeated the same phrase throughout your own week. The rush of our fast-paced days seems to quickly chuck our memory to the wayside. Scientists say we can only keep seven items in our working memory at a time and everything around us vies for one of those spots. As a result, we forget—a lot. The fact that we need to send out an email, defrost the chicken, or pick an item up at the store gets shoved aside in exchange for whatever current distraction or worry has infiltrated our hearts.
Of course, it’s not just tasks and mealtimes we forget. We even forget those truths we desperately want to remember. We forget the prayer request our friend shared in a small group or the very words of Scripture we read mere minutes ago. Our faulty memory becomes a mark of guilt for all we’ve failed to remember. The calls to memorize and meditate on Scripture can feel like condemning reminders of the spiritual discipline we’ve let go. Amidst the onslaught of noise that permeates our day, we can feel incapable of storing these truths in our minds. Yet this battle with our memory isn’t a lost cause. God has already provided for our ailing and exhausted minds, not only by our willpower or gumption, but through his own body. You and I don’t have to remember alone.
“God has already provided for our ailing and exhausted minds, not only by our willpower or gumption, but through his own body.”
REMEMBERING TOGETHER
Somewhere along the way, we began to believe the lie that the memory of God’s words and meditation on them is a solo affair. In reality, God has always called his people to remember together. The book of Deuteronomy repeatedly highlights the need for God’s people to dwell on the past deliverance of the Lord. The people were challenged to remember their stubbornness as well as to remember Yahweh as the giver of the gifts in the Promised Land (Deut. 8:11; 9:5). These were not merely isolated calls of personal remembrance, but a call to a whole people to meditate on their history together.
In response, God’s people wrote songs and sang them with each other (Ex. 15:1–19). They brought their children into their laps and nestled them close while recounting the miraculous deeds of Yahweh (Deut. 4:9–10). Feasts were celebrated as a community specifically to remember the deeds of the Lord. Together they built booths and slept in them as families while thinking about their ancestors’ times in the wilderness (Lev. 23:33–43). Families gathered as a group around the Passover table and partook of the meal that spoke reminders of the blood that preserved their fathers in Egypt (Ex. 12:25–27).
This communal sense of remembering continues throughout Scripture and the history of the church. Psalms are filled with songs that highlight the great deeds of the Lord. They remind his people of his might and glory through creation and in the lives of his children. Psalm 107 details the work of God within the lost as he draws his wayward children to himself. These were songs that were read privately, but sung together. In the church in ages past, their words were sung in churches as each saint belted out the words of reminder to the sister or brother standing beside them.
“God has always called his people to remember together.”
HELP ME REMEMBER
These communal reminders are necessary for forgetful people like you and me. Amidst the distractions of our days, it’s so easy to lose sight of the truths of the Lord. As much as we try to memorize and meditate on Scripture, sometimes we just need the help of another sister to remind us of the truths we’ve forgotten. The barrage of perfect media feeds and air-brushed bodies cause us to quickly forget where our true identity lies. The tantrums and tears of toddlers easily obstruct the grace that God extends to us in every moment. A dull day of tedious meetings and paperwork often veils the fact that we can ascribe glory to God in every mundane moment. We need help cutting through the noise of the world that clamors for a position in our minds.
God knows these frailties. He understands the pressures and anxieties that squelch the truth of his Word from our eyes. It’s why he provided us a body of believers—siblings who can help us remember. We are called to not only gather together on Sunday mornings to take in a sermon, but to remind each other of truth throughout the week. As we teach, admonish, and sing to one another both in the service and outside by the coffee pot, we reinforce the truths every saint needs to hear (Col. 3:14–16). As a result, every part of the body will grow as we equip each other to remember our Savior and his precious Word (Eph. 4:16). We don’t need to feel guilty over our failing memory—we can celebrate the kindness of God in providing for our limitations through the church.
LOOK TO THE BODY
What if we grabbed hold of the gift God has given us for our forgetfulness? We can step out of our comfort zone and, instead of trudging through alone, we can reach out to ask for help. Maybe this week, we not only share prayer requests but we also specifically ask for help remembering.
We could text a friend, asking if she’ll help remind us of God’s refuge as we face a litany of medical appointments. We can email a sister and honestly tell her we’re struggling to remember God’s grace is really ours. At the next playdate, we could invite our friend to remind us that the late nights and diaper-filled days hold great worth. We can even seek help and accountability for the Scripture verse or phrase we’re attempting to keep in the forefront of our minds.
As we reach out for help we can also discover how to help our friends remember. Every one of us struggle through different issues and challenges in our lives. The Lord graciously uses his sons and daughters to encourage each other throughout our various circumstances. We’re not alone in the Christian faith. How can we reach out today and help someone meditate on the goodness of the Lord?
Yes, our memories are fallible, but the good news is that we don’t have to remember alone.
RESOURCES FOR SCRIPTURE MEMORY
IMPORTANT NOTE
Journeywomen articles are intended to serve as a springboard for continued study in the context of your local church. While we carefully select writers each week, articles shared on the Journeywomen website do not imply Journeywomen's endorsement of all writings and positions of the authors or any other resources mentioned.
