Don't Forget to Remember!

Don’t Forget to Remember!

     Sometimes we forget to remember. For many people, Memorial Day is just a three-day week-end, a warm-up to usher in summer activities and vacationing, a good time to fire up the barbecue or take in the Indy 500.

     Don’t forget that it was originally conceived in the after-math of the Civil War as a time to remember – a day to rest from work, to step back from the daily grind, to look back and remember and honor the fallen “heroes” of yesterday and today – those, who, in the line of duty, have made the ultimate sacrifice to safe-guard our freedom. Memorial Day should be a day of collective gratitude to God for the courage, sacrifice and FAITH of those “heroes”. It should be a day of counting our blessings and not taking them for granted. The thing is, all too often, we Americans forget to remember, and the “day” loses its purpose.

     Sunday is our weekly, divinely designated “Memorial Day”. A time to rest from work, step back from the daily grind, look back (and look up) and remember and honor our fallen (but RISEN!) Hero, Jesus Christ! Unfortunately, the same thing that has happened to Memorial Day has happened to Sunday. Now, it’s a day for shopping, sports, brunch, leisure. God made it as the “head” of the week, the “first day”, the “Lord’s Day”, so we could set our priorities right and set a spiritual tone for our week – put our best foot forward! We make it the “last day” of the week, the end of the week-end – “my day”. All too often, we forget to remember and the “day” loses its purpose.

     So, why is it so hard for us to keep to the original purpose of these “memorial days”? Well, it’s a “human thing” – we’re forgetful. But it’s also an “every day” problem. We have trouble remembering on “memorial days” because we are not as mindful as we should be every day. See, Memorial Day was not designed as the one and only day to remember our heroes, but as a special day to collectively express the gratitude we have all year long. Likewise, Sunday is not intended as the one and only day to remember our Lord, but as a special day to collectively express the gratitude and devotion we have for our Lord all week long!

     Let’s not be like the people of Jeremiah’s time: “Can a maiden forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number.” (Jeremiah 2:32) So, for today, tomorrow & every day, don’t forget to remember.

          Rich Howell