Being thankful is about remembering. I am usually too busy thinking about the present and the future to reflect upon the past. With three young children, our family is on the go nonstop. Thanksgiving is a time of year when I do make a point to reflect upon the blessings in my life. Remembering is something we all struggle to do.
The great men of the Old Testament built monuments to remember. Joshua and the priests of Israel set up two monuments made of twelve stones. These monuments were to help future generations remember how God had led them across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. One twelve-stone monument was placed in the actual riverbed where the people walked across upon dry ground as God held the waters back. The other monument was built on the side of victory—the place where God allowed them entrance to the place they had longed to be for many years.
Before Joshua, men like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob built altars to mark a place where they encountered God. These men gathered stones and built simple, crude altars as if to say, “God met me in this place.” Of course, the people would offer sacrifices upon those altars and spend time worshiping God in those sacred places. These altars seem to have been constructed spontaneously; perhaps it was the natural response of these men to set up a marker where God had made a difference in their life.
People still set up monuments today. Church buildings are monuments in our communities that remind us that “God is at work in this place.” Believers give, work and sacrifice to build markers which tell the story of God’s faithfulness. Even gravestones in cemeteries remind us of a great people who have lived and have gone on to meet God.
Monuments and reminders do not necessarily need to be made out of stone and mortar. In my own life, I have kept notes in my journal and Bible. I also keep cards, pictures and other keepsakes. Yet, the greatest monuments in my life have been intangible.
Often, when God does something great in my personal life or my family I set up a spiritual monument. I will tell God something like this, “God help me remember your goodness in my life. When things in the future do not go as well as today, I want to remember your faithfulness to me.” This is has been a breakthrough for me. These spiritual milestones have given me a lot of encouragement when life does not go as I had hoped.
Many of us live our lives in fast forward. It is good to press pause or rewind. It is better to hit the record button and remember. This Thanksgiving as you baste the turkey and spread the table, stop and set up a spiritual monument. Thank God for the blessings He has given to you.
Take in every moment with your family. Life is too short to live with resentment, bitterness and regret. Remember God’s faithfulness in your life. When tomorrow’s troubles come—and they will—go back to the monument you made when encountered God’s blessings in your life.
Happy Thanksgiving, from my family to yours, Pastor Chris
Happy Thanksgiving, from my family to yours, Pastor Chris
