The Value of Reminding Ourselves Not to Forget

Are you a list maker? Some of us are prolific at making lists – to-do or “honey do” lists; shopping lists; daily activity lists; Christmas giving lists. But why do we devote time and effort to making lists? It’s simple: To not forget. 

Years ago, I participated in a time management course. (That’s actually a misnomer, since we really can’t “manage” time – we can only decide how to use it.) One of the main ideas of the course was to keep a comprehensive daily list of everything we either needed to do or wanted to do. Rather than maintaining separate lists for work and home, we were advised to list everything together to avoid scheduling conflicts.

 

We were even told to prioritize each one, giving some an “A” priority, meaning failure to get them done would reflect upon us negatively, or a “B” priority, meaning if that thing didn’t get done it wasn’t the end of the world. We could always move it to another day’s to-do list.

 

One of the key points concerned why we make lists in the first place: A lot of mental energy is spent simply trying to remember stuff we don’t want to forget. If you write things down, all you have to remember is to look at the list where you wrote it down.

 

While it’s helpful to use tools to boost our recall, another way of remembering is to periodically review important moments and events in our lives. This is especially true for a healthy and growing spiritual life. 

 

The Scriptures provide us with reviews of what God has done throughout history for His people. For instance, before turning over the leadership of the Israelites to Joshua, Moses recited a lengthy song of remembrance of things both good and bad. 

 

First, he reminded the people of Israel about the Lord’s unchanging character. “I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does not wrong, upright and just is He” (Deuteronomy 32:3-4).

 

After recalling how the Israelites “acted corruptly toward Him…a warped and corrupt generation…,” Moses admonished them, “Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you” (Deuteronomy 32:5-7).

 

Immediately following Moses’ death, Joshua also underscored the importance of remembrance. To the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, who had chosen not to establish their homes on the other side of the Jordan, he said, “Remember the command that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: ‘The Lord your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land’” (Joshua 1:13).

 

But perhaps the best examples of written reminders are the Psalms, in which King David and other psalmists repeatedly looked back on all God had done through the many generations of the people of Israel, both to praise Him for what He had done and also to refresh their memories so they could find courage to face their present circumstances. 

 

David wrote, “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High…. For You have upheld my right and my cause; You have sat on Your throne, judging righteously” (Psalm 9:1-4).

 

There were times when the king of Israel surveyed his problems and struggles and honestly questioned where God was, if He was paying attention at all. Just as we sometimes do. For instance, David began Psalm 10 with the lament, “Why, O Lord, do You stand far off? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?” However, later in the same psalm – almost as if searching his own memory – he stated, “You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and You listen to their cry…” (Psalm 10:17).

 

The Bible offers countless other examples of how God has faithfully blessed His people and answered their prayers. These become permanent reminders we can cling to during our own times of need, pain and distress. This helps to counter our tendency to adopt a “what have You done for me lately” mentality.

 

Things are going well; we’re inclined to just take good times for granted, as if that’s what we deserve. Then a crisis emerges and we shift to panic mode. ‘Lord, where are You? I need help! Why is this happening?’ How quickly we’ve forgotten how He’s worked in our lives in the past.

 

Recently, I viewed the sermon by Joel Kovacs, pastor of 514 Church in Columbus, Ohio, speaking about the importance of praise. He said, “When we praise God, we’re putting our minds on something else [than our problems]. Praise not only puts God on the throne, but it also takes away anything that should not be on the throne…. Praise doesn’t change our circumstances. It changes our posture, which changes our perceptions. Praise doesn’t take away suffering, but it dethrones it.”

 

Reading the Scriptures and being reminded of what the Lord has done; joining fellow believers in choruses of praise during a worship service; or humming a praise song to ourselves while mowing the lawn or sweeping the floor. All are ways of remembering – reminding ourselves of who God is, what He has done, and His promises to continue being and doing the same.

 

He assured Joshua, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5), and thousands of years later the writer of Hebrews reiterated that promise: “…because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5).

 

I don’t know if you need this reminder, but I definitely do. Every day.

Being Put to the Test By Praise?

Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m really being tested right now”? Maybe you’ve said that yourself a time or two. When we think of being tested, here are some things that come to mind: Financial difficulties. Health problems. Family and relationship conflict. Difficult, even insurmountable problems at work. A time when we have no choice but to exercise patience. Testing isn’t fun – at least not usually.

I was reminded of this during a recent quiet time when I read a curious statement about testing from the Bible. The passage, Proverbs 27:21, states, "The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives."

When we talk about being tested, it’s usually within a context of adversity or struggle. But have you ever been “tested” by praise? Can times when things are going great and seemingly can’t get any better become occasions for us to be tested?

Pat gently - don't
break your arm!

Actually, they can. How often have you heard of stellar athletes, famous entertainers, particularly young ones, or (dare we say it) politicians getting a “big head”? Sadly, far too often. Once-promising stars get caught up by the lavish praise they receive and end up short-circuiting their careers and falling to personal and professional ruin.

But we don’t have to be individuals whose names appear on celebrity TV or the gossip magazines to be tested by praise. At work our boss can praise us for work well done or high productivity, or we can be singled out for a prestigious award. It’s one thing to receive compliments graciously and feel the pride of accomplishment; it’s another to wallow in the praise and practically break our arms patting ourselves on the back.

In his acclaimed book, Good to Great, Jim Collins led a team of people that studied high-performing companies, seeking to identify their secrets. Initially they attempted to discount the impact of leadership, reasoning it’s too easy to give credit to leaders for an organization’s success. After a while, however, they realized the influence of leaders was an intrinsic factor.

Of particular interest was that many of the leaders of top companies shared two qualities: Unwavering determination and great humility. When commended for the performance of their organizations, the leaders typically adopted an “aw, shucks” attitude. More often than not, rather than absorbing the praise, they would respond something like, “Our people did all the work” or, “They could have gotten it done without me.”

There’s something endearing about people who demonstrate high character by remaining humble despite extraordinary success. Maybe we’ll never be CEO of a company that becomes an industry leader, but there’s still much for which we can receive praise. It might be a promotion at work, recognition for service in our community or at church, or even the achievements of our children. How do we react when showered with praise?

Another verse offers this advice: “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips” (Proverbs 27:2). In other words, when others speak well of us, it’s best not to say – or even think to ourselves – “You’re right about that!”

But there’s an even better way to “pass the test” when praise and compliments come our way. We can accept the kind words, since they are intended as a gift. At the same time we can remind ourselves of the apostle Paul’s words, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13), while also acknowledging, “Apart from Me (Jesus Christ) you can do nothing” (John 15:5).