Good morning, Five Minute Families. Last week we talked about how a family can intentionally remember and reflect God’s goodness – sharing our testimony and God’s goodness in our lives, memorizing Scripture, informal conversations, and more. This week, we want to ask… Do you have the “memory of an elephant” or the “memory of a gnat?” Seriously, though, what should we remember about God?

The reason it is important to remember the truth about God and His word is because our human memories are fickle. Some people can remember every little detail of fun events but difficult events seem to never even be processed. For other people, the opposite is true; every negative event is catalogued but good ones seem to never have even happened. For folks who process and keep the happy memories, life can be fairly easy sailing, but for most of the rest of us who do process the negative times, remembering can be a double-edged sword.

Neuroscientists, psychiatrists, and psychologists are researching constantly how the brain stores memories and how those memories are retrieved. The general consensus right now is that traumatic memories are stored in the emotional brain centers composing the limbic system. Emotional triggers of sounds, sights, smells, and more can set off a cascade of difficult behaviors or coping mechanisms that are often not the best response – they are however the initial triggered response – what we call first thoughts (we have a different Five Minute Family podcast devoted to first thoughts if you are interested in more information).

Many experts suggest that someone working through anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and other issues like those work instead to take back conscience responsiveness through controlled breathing, placing your hand on a painful area of the body, locking your eyes on an object and thinking about five specific ideas about the object itself, and more. Let’s never forget Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” We, as Christ-followers, need to process our first thoughts through God’s truth as we remember, and then deliver them rightly as God thoughtss.

For further healing after a traumatic event, experts suggest that a person go back into a time of memories when they felt right with the world. But, what do we do when the memories that come up are hurtful, harmful, or discouraging? What about those children whose first memories of life are frightening, abusive, or traumatic in any way?

Psalm 73:26 reminds us, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

BUT GOD… the two best words to remember!

No matter how bad your own memories may be, no matter what sins you have struggled with, God is here, and He wants us to remember HIS GOODNESS above all else. God’s word is full of numerous truths and details, stories and values. So, let’s explore the first five principles we feel a God-honoring family might focus on remembering.

Remember His love. Jesus said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40

Remember His deliverance. “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.” Psalm 34:17

Remember his grace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Remember His mercy. “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:36

Remember His forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

We should never let our earthly memory storage capacity be our defining remembrance ability. No matter what our limited capabilities here – whether it be a traumatic experience blocking our memories or our own way of memorizing or something else entirely, we can make God preeminent in our lives. God’s word is written down for us and the Holy Spirit works to speak to our hearts. 1 Corinthians 11:2 tells us that God will commend us “because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.” It is our purpose in God that makes sense out of the bad memories and helps us to better define the things truly worth remembering in.

Be blessed!