Play the Remember Game
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. (1 Peter 4:8-10)
Today, use your devotion time (after reading my devotion, of course) to play a mental game of “Let’s remember.” The other day, Jill and I watched an episode of “The Big Bang Theory” in season eleven. The married couple, Howard and Bernadette, had just had their second baby, and they were making jokes about how he owed her big-time because of the size of the baby’s big head. It reminded me of a family we loved in Waterloo. We used to make jokes about warning any girls the guys dated not to get serious or ever think of marriage because the family all have big heads. Childbirth would be horrific! It wasn’t a joke or an exaggeration!
After a good laugh, I thought about how significant that family was in our lives. I performed weddings in their family, stood by hospital beds when they were sick, offered funerals, celebrated graduations, and just hung out. I stopped and said a silent “Thank you” to God for including that family in our lives. Then, I began thinking of others in our history who blessed our lives.
A few years ago, we received a call from a woman who told us she was the second wife of a friend Jill and I had when we were dating. They were an older church couple who we would hang out with regularly. His first wife died several years ago, and he and his second wife were married for almost 20 years. She said he was turning 95, and his health was declining. She was preparing a big birthday bash and wanted us to write something for a book she was preparing for him. We talked about how he and his wife would have Jill and me over to their house, and we would have drinks and eat elegant meals. We felt so special and grown up in the presence of such a successful and elegant couple.
Enough of my examples; now, please take a few minutes and reflect on your fun memories and the people God gave you at different points in life. Just because you lost contact, they can remain a joy in your life. Say a prayer and thank God for the people in your past who were a gift. Now, put the shoe on the other foot, so to speak. Think about times when you were the divine gift to someone else. Past and present relationships are gifts from God. Continue to cherish them by playing the remember game!