"M"emories are the "M"oments we cherish

Today I looked through my Facebook memories and one particular memory caught my eye.  I can't believe that seven years ago today, my husband and I were baptized.  It was something we did together and we did it in the lake with ALL the gators.  Now mind you, our Pastor reminded us that all those gators were Christians and just wanted to be a part of the celebration; but it is a bit unnerving to have one guy dedicated to "gator duty" with a long stick.  None the less, we stepped into that lake and trusted God with the details.

Our memories are full of moments we will forever cherish.  I'm sure as you have begun reading this, you are scrolling through the pages of memories in your mind.  Our memories can heal us.  They can make us laugh.  They can make us weep.  They can build us up and they can strengthen those around us.  When we take time to scroll through the memories in our minds, we are allowing those moments where God was in the details into our daily lives.

Just thinking about that warm day in April of 2012 when Chris and I walked out to the lake, I can see God in all the details.  It wasn't our idea to get baptized that April but instead, Matthew pushed us towards it.  Chris and I had been baptized as children but had never stepped out into our adult faith through baptism.  Matthew, the prior October, decided that he wanted to be baptized.  (Yet another memory that I treasure.)  As he stepped into the  baptismal font, I can still picture his excited face.  Pastor Randall asked him if he accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and Matthew, as tiny as he was at 12 years of age, said loud and clear, YES!  The tears of joy streaming down my face that night were overwhelming, even today, I can still feel the excitement I felt the moment my son was dunked and forever saved.  It was Matthew stepping out in faith that pushed Chris and I to do the same. 

Now mind you, not all our memories are happy ones.  Often times we are faced with reminders of moments that hurt.  I'll be honest, I have a bunch of those stored up in my file cabinet in my head too.  I hate the memory of going through a divorce and being pregnant by myself.  And while I would change nothing about the path God has put me on, I often wish I could erase that memory of being alone.  How I would have loved to instead have been able to share all the moments of my pregnancy with a loving companion.  But that wasn't God's plan for my life.  There is a purpose and a plan behind why and I can only look at the blessings that God has given me since that time in my life and know that God wanted the best. It was in His timing that I met Chris and our relationship evolved.

I would love to be able to erase all the moments of saying goodbye to those I love.  My Grandparents, my friends who have passed away.  I don't like being able to remember the smell of the funeral flowers or hearing a song on the radio and knowing that the last time I heard that, I was saying goodbye.

Memories come in all shapes and sizes.  But friends, let me tell you something, each of those memories is tied to a moment that God was in.  If I've said it once this Bible Study Fellowship class year, I've said it a million times, God is IN the details of our lives.  There isn't a moment that goes by that he is surprised and wasn't expecting.  God is woven into the very intimate details of our lives.  He is like a comforting security blanket and is there holding and protecting you at all times.   God is in it all.  And as Corrie ten Boom correctly stated, "If God sends us on stony paths, he provides strong shoes".

God doesn't leave us to work through life alone.  The moment that you accept Jesus into your heart, you are forever saved, forgiven, cherished, loved, found righteous, shown mercy, and lavished with abundant grace.   Oh dear friends, don't let a moment of life go by without creating that memory where you found Jesus and stepped into your inheritance in heaven.  When you can look back on the memories of your life and see the fingerprints of God all over each memory, that is something truly, truly special.  Each of us is a wondrous creation knitted together by God in our mother's womb.  Embrace each memory of every moment in your life, cherish them all.  For each one of them has brought you to where you are today.  Each of them is a stepping stone in your testimony.


The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful love.  The Lord is good to everyone; His compassion [rests] on all He has made.- Psalm 145:8-9