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Memories are precious things. They shape our future. God grants us experiences and allows us to taste something of his glory. But as human beings we easily forget God's goodness to us. That is why, in the Bible, people kept things to remind them what God had done. God even had some things to act as memory joggers.
| Thing used as memory joggers | What they helped people remember | Bible passage |
| The rainbow | To remind God that he promised never to flood the earth again | Genesis 9:15 |
| Tassels on the priests' robes | To remind the people of the Ten Commandments | Numbers15:39 |
| The Passover | To remind the Jews of how God delivered them from slavery in Egypt | Deuteronomy 16:1-8 |
| 12 stones | As the Israelites step foot in the promised land, God does a miracle and stops the Jordan from flowing. Joshua tells the people to set up 12 stones (one for each tribe) to remind them what God did. | Joshua 4:1-9 |
| Red ribbon | To remind the spies that they had promised not to kill Rahab or her family. | Joshua 2:18 |
| Jacob and Laban's pillar | They built a pillar as proof of the agreement between Jacob and Laban | Genesis31:45-48 |
| Jacob's pillar | To remind Jacob of where he met with God and to act as a marker for the temple. | Genesis 28:22 |
| Aaron's Branch | that sprouted To remind the people that God had chosen the Levites to be priests. | Numbers 17:1-11 |
| Manna | To remind the generations to come that God fed the Israelites. | Exodus 16:32 |
| Purim | To remember how God used Esther to spare the Jewish race. | Esther 9:28 |
| Communion | To remember that Jesus died for us. | 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 |
Throughout the Bible we see that God instructed the people to remember him and to remember what he had done. Parents have the greatest responsibility in passing the truths and things they have heard on to their children. In Deuteronomy 6: 6-9 God instructs the people:
"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."
They were to keep the things God has spoken at the forefront of their minds. Not only that they were to pass on the reality of these things to their children. Throughout the Church calendar - Easter, Christmas, Pentecost and so on, we remember different aspects of what God has done for the Church. However, we should also make sure we do not forget all that God has done for us as individuals.
David writes in Psalm 103:2, "Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits."
Our greatest joy in discipling our children is seeing them share in our walk with God. As we go through life God answers many prayers; if we can let the children see these answers their relationship with him will be enriched. We will be helping them to have a foundation built with God. They will be encouraged to pray expecting God to answer their prayers too.
This does not mean to say that we should share every burden of life with our children. We do not want them to be concerned for provision of food, for cancelling of debts or to be weighed down by sour relationships. However, we can, prayerfully, choose the situations in which we involve them so that they can pray with us and see the answers to these prayers. This will have a lasting impact on their walk with God.
It takes godly wisdom to know when to share these things with our children. Often, with larger trials, it may be best to wait until God has answered before showing the children what he has done. But keeping a memorial of these things will mean that they are continually reminded of what God has done. They will be encouraged to know that he can and will move again (and so will you!).
Your "memories' can be kept in one place - perhaps as a scrap book, or you may want to create your own family memorial box that can be kept in a corner of a room. Whatever you do, don't keep it out of sight. Instead, keep it in a prominent place in the home (perhaps over the fireplace). Then, as God moves, add things to the box or scrapbook to remind you and your children of all that he has done for you.
Over time this box will grow to be a substantial memory bank of God's goodness to your family. From time to time look through the box together and thank God for all the things that he has done. When bringing new prayer requests to God you can thank him for all the answers to prayer already received, but you can also show the children how God has answered in the past and how he will continue to answer in the future.
You may want to take this further by having a faith box. Into this box you can put symbols of all the things that you are asking God for as a family. As time goes by you will get to move things from the faith box to the memorial box.
Encourage your children to be, actively, involved in this process, not just in the praying, but also in decorating of the box and in choosing the items that go into it. Remember that the aim is not to burden the children with adult life, but to inspire them with the goodness of God in answering prayers. By allowing the children to choose the requests for the faith box they will choose things that are a concern for them.
This whole process of choosing and sharing prayer requests and looking back at what God has done will be a focus for discussion in your family. If God does not answer your son's prayer "to have a real tiger in his bedroom" you can talk about it together and look at the things God has answered.
This is all part of the process of discipleship for our children - a process, that as a parent, you are integrally involved with. They will learn from your life whether you like it or not. Why not create the opportunities for them to see God at work in your life and have their faith built up by yours, then they will follow you as you follow Christ.
Why not send in your testimonies. Click here and select 'Praise Response'. Who knows some may even end up in Revival Times and you will be able to add the article to your memorial box.
