One year ago this Saturday I was privileged to bag a nice mule deer buck on Turkey Creek near Pagosa Springs, Colorado. After spending several days scouring the hills and woods, my trophy stepped out and now hangs on my office wall. October 24 will always bring fond memories.
Many resources help us remember what happened on certain days. Websites, devotionals, and news blurbs all remind us of important historical events that occurred on this particular date somewhere through the ages. Aside from being entertaining, it also refreshes our appreciation for those who have preceded us and the struggles they conquered.
While enjoying these generic reflections, I would suggest that each of us also develop our own personal resource. Make a calendar that records important events in your life. While we all celebrate wedding anniversaries and birthdays, what about days we started new jobs, moved into new homes, or finished major projects?
While this can be somewhat sentimental, it can be a very powerful reminder of God’s faithfulness. God told the Israelites many times to remember His actions in their past. As we recall how He’s brought us through former struggles, it builds our faith to face current and future challenges.
Do you remember a particularly difficult class in school? If so, record and celebrate the date of your graduation as a way to commemorate God’s help. Was there a day God brought a special friend into your life? Mark it down and thank Him for it annually.
Each April, our mother would remind us of the day we moved into our new home on Saumsville Road in 1965. Our family had outgrown our Spring Street house and more space was needed both inside and out for raising children. Although the date we moved in wasn’t marked on national calendars, it was an important day in Bowers’ history and Mom never forgot it.
Although we like to forget difficult emotional struggles, it’s important to remember how God brought us through those as well. While some may be able to point to a specific moment when their peace returned, most find it difficult to identify a precise day when they sensed God’s returning calm. Nevertheless, His role in leading us through those times should be recalled as encouragement to face similar trials in the future.
Was there a time he spared your life in a serious automobile or work accident? When did the Doctor give you an “all clear?” What date did He enable you to finally pay off a lingering debt? Was there a time He shielded you from a natural disaster? When did you get to attend the big game or meet that person you long admired?
Instead of allowing these events to get lost in our file cabinet of forgetfulness, let’s write them down and glorify God for them! Because our minds can only manage so much information, it’s good to record them on some master calendar to cement the actual dates. Even though they may not be special to anyone else, they’re significant days in our history and this ensures that we will remember and give God the glory He deserves.
As I look back over my nearly six decades, I regret that I did not record dates of friendships begun, awards received, winning teams coached, or special gifts God supplied. I’m sure if I did, my remembrance calendar would be chocked full of blessings. Although we can’t go backwards, we can start a calendar going forward that can be our praise reminder.
If you have, like me, forgotten some exact dates, assign one that you believe is close so you won’t forget to thank God each year. As your calendar fills with memories, so will your heart with gratitude. Your soul will swell with trust in God who has been faithful throughout your past. May my memory of that beautiful fall afternoon in Colorado one year ago this Saturday prompt you to make your own record of God’s activity in your life.
Blessings, George