092507

September 25, 2007

Spiritual Amnesia and Remembering God

by Shana Schutte

Several years ago I met a young man who developed amnesia after someone dowsed the inside of his new truck with gasoline and set it on fire. For a reason the doctors couldn't explain, the trauma from this event triggered something in his brain that caused him to forget many things--including his fiance. Unfortunately, because He couldn't remember her and the memories they'd created together, he also lost the affection he had for her. He forgot how he stared into her eyes, held her hand, and enjoyed a knowing look--he didn't remember that he'd loved her.

A similar thing can happen in our relationship with Christ. We can develop a type of spiritual amnesia when things in life are tough. At these moments it's as if what we know to be true about God, and our history with him disappears.

Counselors often tell couples with troubled marriages to reminisce about thier early romance. Why? This stirs up the embers of love to help their relationship heal. Why can't we apply this same principle to our relationship with Christ?

For several years now, I've had the idea to collect a pile of small river rocks, wash them, and then write key words with a date to remind me of answered prayers and "God moments." Then when I'm sad, disappointed or have a bad case of spiritual amnesia, I could pull out a rock and it would remind me of a special experience with my King--and I would fall in love with Him all over again. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to collecting my rocks and so my journal and a pen often help me remember His goodness.

Just last week I wrote a note to God after recalling some of my history with Him:

Knowing You has been the most exhilarating, painful, beautiful, difficult, lovely, desperate, treacherous experience ever! We've lived a grand adventure haven't we, God? Sometimes I've felt that my heart would burst from pain and other times I've felt it would overflow with so much song that I couldn't stop singing. Life with You has all the elements of a great love story or an on-the-edge-of-your-seat movie--life with You is an adventure worth remembering.

"I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal when you went after Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown." Jeremiah 2:2 (NKJV)

www.runtogodministries.org

run to god

m i n i s t r i e s

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me because

he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted."

---Jesus

a daily reflection