“I will remember the works of the LORD; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.” Psalm 77:11-12

Pause to Consider

We once owned an A-frame cabin in the mountains. It was painted brick-red with white trim. There were wood decks both in front and back. A large stack of split wood stood just off the front deck, and windchimes outside the living room window tinkled in mountain breezes. Oddly, one thing I most remember about this home is how the screen door sounded as it slammed shut.

When we sold the house, I solemnly walked through each room, saying goodbye to the sights and sounds of the place, rehearsing the memories. The time the old woodstove got so hot, it glowed red (we replaced it). The blue and white heart wallpaper with the trim of parading geese (so popular 25 years ago). The small bits of foil we attached to the newly-planted apple trees—hoping to keep the deer away. And the lunches around the bay window table with a friend whose talent was tole painting on wood figures and signs. (This friend once lamented, “I guess you don’t lose much weight on the Chips and Salsa Diet.”) Oh, how I remember her laughter and smile.

So much of that life still remains within me. That last walk through the home—pausing to remember, to connect—solidified the memories.

The many “lasts” in our lives make details sharp and memorable. Last words hold great importance. Last visits are poignant. Last sights, as we drive away, are locked up tight in a forever place.

I’ve noticed that if I don’t ever stop to pay attention to something, it will never hold this place of memory in my heart (unless it does so by sheer repetition). Connecting to a sight, a sound, a voice, a place—giving it some time, letting it have the spotlight and hold some importance—makes a difference in what I remember.

I think this is God’s intention for us when we read His Word. He tells us often to remember, and this will be far easier done when we have taken the time to meditate on it (Psalm 119:15); consider our ways (Haggai 1:7); consider the work of God (Ecclesiastes 7:13).

Be absorbed in wonder sometimes. Let God awe you. Be still for a change, and know that He is God.  Make Him most important. Give Him priority. Be consumed by intimacy, captivated by His love letter, fascinated by all the ways He gives grace. Hang on Him as if He was the only Person in your world. Let the details of your encounters with Him be sharply detailed in your mind, making each conversation with Him, and each reading of His Word, be as memorable as if it was the last you would ever have.

“Father, teach us to look deeply, to see what You’re doing and hear what You’re saying, so that we will remember. Holy Spirit, be our Helper in this. Amen.”