Perhaps one of the greatest virtues and joys of a Christian is remembering.  We often overlook the command that Jesus gave to us during the Lord’s Supper.  He said, “Do this so you will remember me.”

Time and time again in the Old and New Testaments we are instructed to remember.  Many of the emotional and mental hardships we experience in our daily spiritual walk stem from neglecting this discipline.  Ignored or passed over without much thought or meditation, we stumble day after day because we forget the grace, mercy and promises of God.

From the beginning, when Eve took the first bite of that forbidden fruit, a large part of her problem was not remembering.  She had forgotten the promise and instruction of God.  She didn’t completely remember what God had told her and Adam about eating the fruit.

Again and again as the people of God fail to live for him, it is too often a remembering problem.  Deliberate sin is not as much a concern for most of us as neglecting the small things.

As my big project for 2013, I’ve taken on the task of cleaning out the garage. That messy cavern holds years of work, hopes and dreams of my late husband.  It was his shop, his hideout and his sanctuary.  As I scrub, paint, sort and toss, I remember that so much of his life revolved around a great dream of changing the world through a machine that produced unlimited energy.  He didn’t accomplish his dream; but he never forgot it.

I remember that I believed in that dream because I believed in him.

One of the virtues I’ve observed within the mentally challenged community is their ability to grasp and hold tight to the simple, good things of God.  They remember their first communion.  They remember to prepare their offering envelop for Sunday morning.  They remember a small gesture of love and forgiveness.  They remember…

The Lord has a plan (a dream) for my life and your life.  We can believe in that marvelous dream when we remember and trust in Him.