Remember

"Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please." Isaiah 46:8-10


Have you ever thought about how quickly you forget something, even something important? Someone tells you something and you are sure you will remember but a distraction comes and the thought is gone. We are so easily distracted by things that do not matter. We are even distracted when we pray. Our minds begin to wander around here and there and everywhere! Why can't we stay focused for one moment?

It reminds me of Jesus when he went to pray in the garden and he asked his three closest disciples to stay awake and pray. Every time he returned they were asleep. I am sure that they didn't mean to go to sleep. It was late and as they closed their eyes to pray, the next thing they knew they were snoring. How disappointed Jesus was!

God through Isaiah proclaims the words above to remind us to remember Him. Although this is written to His people Israel, there is much that we can take away from it. Are we rebels? You bet! Do we need to remember all of the things that God has done? Absolutely! Do we need to preach to ourselves that there is one God and no other? Yes! Do we need to remember that God's purpose and His will is what is going to take place regardless of our rebellion? A resounding yes!

God does as He pleases. I wonder if I can remember that when life gets hard. I better because even the hard life is all about God and what He is going to accomplish. The real test is whether I can remember God when life is going great! It is those times when God is not in the forefront of my mind because after all...life is good! But without thinking of God and who He is and what He is accomplishing, is life really good??

So I need to "fix it in my mind and take it to heart"...God. That is the memory worth the effort to remember.

The Best Hardy Party Ever!!

It is the Christmas season and with it comes many parties with family and friends. Last Sunday we had the "Hardy Party". We look forward to it every year. My grandchildren love to get together with their great uncles and aunts and cousins. It is an evening filled with food, laughter, discussion and fun.

This year as every year the relatives brought Christmas gifts for the kids. Uncle Martin handed out the gifts from he and Aunt Dot. It was a tin shaped like a Christmas cookie with a card attached. Everett opened the cookie tin to find a Christmas cookie with M & Ms in it. His eyes got very big and he said, "A Christmas cookie, thank you so much!". While he was exclaiming such thanks for the Christmas cookie, the other kids had opened their card first to find a $35.00 gift card to Target. Everett had to be instructed to open the card where he found the same thing.

Then Aunt Peggy handed out the gift from she and Uncle Dave. The boys were very excited to receive a swiss army knife each. Once again leave it to Everett to exclaim, "Wow! a killing machine!". We were all laughing except for Addy who was busy looking in the little purse she had received to find small little gifts inside. She was opening each one to see that she was receiving make-up and lipsticks. She could hardly sit still. All of the sudden she jumped up, raised both arms and exclaimed, "This is the best Hardy Party ever!". This too brought much laughter from everyone.

I was thinking about the party later and thought, 'yes this was the best Hardy party ever!'. It was not because of the gifts or the company but it was because of the lesson I learned from Everett. When he was looking at one solitary Christmas cookie, he displayed a grateful heart. His eyes never said anything but 'thank you'. It seems my grandchildren are always challenging me. Do I have a grateful heart when all I receive is a cookie?

God makes His will clear concerning our heart in all situations. "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 This was demonstrated at the Hardy Party. It is the memory I will treasure from this year's celebration with the Hardys and hopefully one I will learn from. Thank you Everett. Thank you God for evidence of your Spirit to be made known through a 9 year old.