I’ve
experienced another one of those God things. You might call it coincidence or
karma or luck. I prefer to see it as the work of a wild and mysterious creator
who loves me and wants to be involved in my daily life, revealing himself in
crazy ways I could never orchestrate. Doesn’t that sound a lot more inviting?
This
story has two parts. First, mine.
I’ve been hearing a Steven Curtis
Chapman song on Christian radio called “Remember to Remember.” As I anticipate my
sixtieth birthday in February, I decided this song should be a theme for the
next year as I enter a new decade. I want to look back and remember God’s
faithfulness to me in good times and hard times, and I want to remember I can
trust him for whatever lies ahead.
While it played one day, I said,
“Lord, I wish I had a slide show of my life running before my eyes as I listen
to this, because I don’t always have the best memory.” But let’s face it—while
we might keep photographs of our mountain-top days, nobody takes pictures when
you’re in the valley. When you’re face-down on the carpet sobbing, or you’re in
so much physical pain you pray for Jesus to take you home because you don’t
know if you can stand it another day; when you’re so angry you want to choke
someone. You don’t generally want your photo taken in those moments. But we
need to remember God carries us through them just as much as he leads us to the
mountaintops.
Well,
God hasn’t given me a slide show. He’s done something I never expected. In
September, Jon and I attended a reunion at the Christian high school we both
attended in South Dakota. The homecoming was for alumni from the entire decade
of the seventies, so we saw a lot of old and dear friends, both former students
and staff. We reminisced, hugged, laughed, cried, shared, and worshiped God
together. I returned home with a full heart. (You can read more about that
here.)
The
next time my song played was a light bulb moment. I said, “God, you gave me
something far better than a slide show. You actually took me into my past, to a
place I hadn’t been for years, with people I hadn’t seen in decades. Thank you!”
The
next day, I received a call asking if I might come to Amaranth to speak at a
women’s event. Amaranth! My childhood! I couldn’t remember the last time I’d
been back or seen inside the church I grew up in, the place my grandfather
helped build and through which my family came to know Jesus.
I
said yes.
The
theme of the event was “Time Well Spent” and I shared some things I’m learning
about time. We made a craft and enjoyed a foot spa and a lovely meal together.
During the wrap-up, I explained how much it meant to be invited and shared Chapman’s
song with them. I was flooded with memories as I snooped around the church.
What
do you suppose God will add to my “slide show” next?
In
her book Defiant Joy, Staci Eldredge says, “…when we forget who God is, what He has done, and who we are in Him and
to Him, we put ourselves in great peril. We cannot live well nor arrive at the
end of our journey triumphant unless we remember.”
He’s
helping me remember his faithfulness in cool ways. But this story gets even better.
Shirley, the woman who called to invite me to Amaranth, told her side of the
story. Blew me away. But it will have to wait for next
week.
