Remembering...

I was thinking recently how I hope that I have friends who are willing to share stories with me of God's faithfulness in their lives or friends' lives or families' lives. I love when people ask boldly for God to do something in their lives, and He either answers their request as they asked or He provides in a way even better than they could have asked or imagined. It's good to remember God's faithfulness.

I love to remember good moments that have happened in my life. I remember this one time in high school when my parents and I went camping at the lake during the summer. It was my first ever experience with camping....and it wasn't even tent camping....haha. I didn't experience tent camping until I was a junior in college. Of course, I'm not sure camping for one night at Martin Creek would really be considered camping either.

Anyways, my parents had just recently bought a camper. It was one of those campers that was definitely made in the early 90's, but it had enough beds for us and it had an air conditioner that basically froze you (which I loved). I remember spending two nights out at the lake, which ended up being 2 nights of maybe 10 that my parents actually ever used that camper. They were thankful back in like 2008 when some storm hit, and the camper was deemed totaled which allowed them to get money for this camper they barely even used. I loved the one weekend I got to spend using that camper though. One of my friends' families had a boat at the time, and they came by to pick me up from our camp site to go out on the water. I had a blast.

Note: I lost a shirt while we were on the water...and I remember that I had loved that shirt...truly devastating :)

Once they dropped me off back at the camp site, I remember sitting inside the camper that afternoon and enjoying one of the new popular crazes, scrapbooking(at least it seemed like a new craze). I sat there for a couple of hours creating a page to remember my recent trip to Schlitterbauhn with some of the juniors and seniors from my church (it was technically a senior trip, but they didn't have that many so they let the measly little sophomores go...which is what I was at the time.....well and I was awesome so of course they wanted me there...right?).

That is one of those moments that I look back on in life and love to remember what a great time it was.

Now that was just a great time. It really has nothing to do with God's faithfulness, unless you want to get into the fact that God gave me wonderful parents, wonderful parents who had enough money to buy a camper, wonderful parents who had enough money to buy a camper and lived near a lake, wonderful parents who had enough money to buy a camper and lived near a lake and wanted to take their baby girl out there to enjoy it...but now I'm just grasping to make it more spiritual than I think it was.

There are definitely moments that I look back on though, and think, "Man, God" (that comma is important or I would have just said Jesus....Man God = Jesus)...anyways I think "Man, God, that wasn't such a great time." A lot of those moments though are ones that I can look back on (and sometimes during) and see God's faithfulness...his provision...his blessing...his mercy...his grace.

Even in the Bible, there are times where it is stated to remember.

After the flood, God tells Noah "I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life." (Genesis 9:15)

When He gave instructions to Moses about passover, He said, "This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the LORD. This is a law for all time." (Exodus 12:14)

Right after this, Moses tells the Israelites, "This is a day to remember forever--the day you left Egypt, the place of your slavery. Today the LORD has brought you out by the power of his mighty hand." (Exodus 13:3)

(In fact, it seems like there is a lot of remembering that needed to go on during the exodus...Moses to the Iraelites - remember how God saved you {from yourself} (Deuteronomy 8:1-6). Moses to God - remember your covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deuteronomy 9:27). Of course, God remembered...the Israelites - not so much)

During the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples when they took the bread, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19)

Paul, in Ephesians, tells the church of Ephesus to "remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ." (Ephesians 2:11-13)

Recently, I went to a Ladies' Retreat at my church. For each session we had, we sat at a round table with the same ladies. A few shared stories of God's faithfulness. One talked about a time when she and her husband had to declare bankruptcy, right before their twin children graduated high school. They were broken over the fact that they would be unable to help their children financially through college. Both children have graduated now with $0 debt to pay off because God blessed them with either scholarships or jobs that helped pay tuition.

Another lady shared that her husband lost his job within the last few years. They moved to Longview last summer, and she has been teaching at Longview High School this year (her husband, at the time, was still jobless). In the last few years, they had adopted 3 children which required them to spend money not just on the normal things children need but also on medical bills and prescriptions for their children. Needless to say they were very worried over finances. She said that when money was needed to pay a bill though God always seemed to provide. She recalled a time where she needed money to pay for something and checked her box at the school she teaches at....there was a $200 check in the box. That check more than covered the bill she had to pay. Also, after disappointment and disappointment in the job hunt, her husband has found a job that they believe is greater than what they hoped for.

My friend, Emily, recently went to a conference called Passion one weekend. While she was there, she felt the Holy Spirit's presence, and heard Him tell her to ask anything of Him...so she did. She asked that God would provide a job for her dad because he hadn't had one in a year and a half, and she knew her parents were struggling financially. She heard God say, "This week." That following Wednesday, her dad got a call, and he left for Missouri the next day for his new job. (She also asked that she could get to know a girl at our church better, and the next weekend they were roommates at the Ladies' Retreat)

Linda, the lady in the office beside me, found out last October that her healthy, very active, younger brother had acute lymphoblast​ic leukemia. Linda took this very, very hard. I remember days where she looked so sad that I couldn't even talk to her because I had no idea what to say. She is so sweet, and she basically felt what Andy felt. If he was up, she was up. If he was down, she was down. I remember many times that she would say that Andy was the one encouraging her through this. The ladies in our office though have prayed for Andy (and Linda) many many times. He finished his treatment two weeks ago, and he went in for a bone marrow biopsy a week ago on Tuesday. He was supposed to get the results from it this past Tuesday. Last Thursday morning, I was praying for their family, and I know of another lady that also prayed for him. Linda got the text Thursday afternoon - the results came back clear!

Remembering....sometimes it is just good for the heart to remember and think about how God is so faithful. I love these stories! Keep 'em coming Jesus!

Another Note: One thing I'm grateful doesn't have to be remembered...my sins. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)