Remembering

        I have a tendency to keep things because there may come a time when I will need them. So, I keep coffee cans or other suitable containers filled with washers, nuts, bolts, cotter keys, old drill bits and on and on. I know that some day they will all end up in the landfill because nobody wants them. I also collect other things in envelopes that contain certain pictures, notes of one sort or another, receipts to long lost items and even one lock of hair that I don't know from whose head it came. I have kept it along with a torn obituary notice and a casket ribbon that says, “Rest in Peace.” I don't know where that came from either, but I have it just in case someone remembers it in the future. The more valuable remembrances are not in coffee cans, but in the old German family Bible, envelopes in drawers and in my desk itself. I have threatened to get rid of it but take it out, look at it and think it might be important, so place it back in the drawer. We like to remember things from our past that remind us of previous accomplishments or milestones in our lives. I will never get rid of my “shellback” card just in case old men are called back into service. Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;”

      When I first came across this passage, it was written in my tenth grade literature book in the state of Indiana. I had to memorize verses one through seven. It appears to be an admonition to young people to remember God, their Creator, now when they are young when their mind is sharp and still forming ideas and character in their lives. The rest of the passage, verses 2 through 7, would be humorous if they were not so true. It describes my life now. I didn't start remembering God until that day came when I gave my life to Him, that is, I received Christ as my Lord and Savior and accepted His payment on the cross for my sins, which are too numerous to tell and would bring up things I would much rather forget. The blood on the cross washed them away. Now, my focus on remembering is upon God and He will never be forgotten. I have many kind of triggers around my house that remind me of God. Some might be plaques, or crosses, or Bibles, or music. The one things that helps me to remember God are the verses of Scripture that are in my mind. I often call on them in the middle of the night when I am trying to get to sleep and my mind seems to be on other things, so I take a moment and begin to remember the verses, reciting them in the darkness of the room under the covers, until all of a sudden it is morning and I have had what the Bible refers to as, “sweet” sleep. Remembering your Creator is that which takes place when you are in tough situations, or even just can't get to sleep. What do you remember when your find yourself in the pressure cooker? What steps do you take to fight the stress in your life? The Preacher said that we should “remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth...” Praise God today that He take care of us in each and every moment of our frustration and provides the peace and tranquility that only He can provide.