“THANKS FOR THE MEMORY...”

An ad on TV for some kind of pharmaceutical to prevent or cure memory loss, or at least slow it down, began with the declaration, “Your memories make you who you are!”

Just a minute, not so fast! Is it a given then, that when memory begins to fade or disappears down Memory Lane, or wherever memory gets lost, that you are LESS of who you are? Or that you are no longer who you were? That you are heading toward being marginalized or forgotten by others or less esteemed? Does dementia or Alzheimer’s take away your value in the sight of God? That all that transpired in the past which you can no longer remember doesn't count when the Records are open in Heaven?

That can't be so! God forgets nothing—except our confessed, forgiven, absolved, and “cast into the depths of the sea” sins. Those He remembers no more. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice to remove our sins as far as the east is from the west. Who we are, what we have become, and what we have done is forever etched on God's memory and will be rewarded whether we can remember all or none of it.

Diminishing of memory is subtle and sneaks up on us ever so stealthily. First, we might start having “senior moments” when names of familiar people or places or things begin to escape us. Then we can't recall what we had for breakfast. (That's not important anyway, is it?) All the above is not necessarily the sign of a disease. 

To use some computer analogy, it might simply be that through the years we have accumulated so much in our “hard disk” that our minds are in overload and we are just “deleting” some of the “trash” or trivia that we don't need anymore. Perhaps it's a matter of making more room for important information of the eternal kind. We may just need “rebooting.” Or to pay better attention to our nourishment and ramp up our quality or quantity sleep. In any case, our memory doesn't suddenly disappear into thin air to be gone forever.

For those of us who are not experiencing memory slippage—YET—let's be understanding, patient, loving, and forbearing with those who are. They still are who they always were, precious to God and to us. And let's express our appreciation to the Lord and say “Thanks for our memory,” for our eternal spirit given by God when He breathed the breath of life into us. That's where our memory is located forever and forever. In the presence of God in Heaven all that is stored will be recalled and accounted for—and rewarded. Nothing is irretrievably lost.

THANKS FOR GOD'S MEMORY

Leona Choy

It's incredible how much I've forgotten

although when I did it

said it, saw it

wrote it, heard it

all was fresh and plain and clear

and I never had a fear

that I wouldn't be able to recall it

at will.

Some things I'd rather forget:

unpleasantries and failures

hurts to me and mine

and the pain I've given others

my sins, open or secret

displayed plainly

and etched indelibly

in the storage disks of my mind.

MAJESTIC MASTER OF ALL SYSTEMS

IN HEAVEN AND EARTH, ALMIGHTY GOD:

You are far beyond my word processor

which conveniently and without error

electronically recalls

ALL that I program into it

whether good or bad, trivial or trash

glittering gems of eloquence

as well as typos or blatant errata

even untruths and gibberish.

O DIVINE WORD PROCESSOR GOD

I esteem and appreciate

the compassion and mercy

of Your awesome memory process

to remember no more my transgressions

placed beneath the Cross.

I bless You for their loss for eternity

in the depths of the sea

removed from your display

as far as the East from the West!

Undeserving and unworthy

I applaud Your infallible memory

to remember forever

to record perfectly

and reward in eternity

my deeds done and words spoken

in Jesus' name

cups of cold water given

visits to the sick and the prisoner

an inn and care provided

for a battered one

the perfume of my praise

lavishly anointing Your feet.

MY THANKS FOR YOUR MEMORY!