Remember

What a beautiful and timely Sunday School lesson yesterday from Deuteronomy....about REMEMBERING!  Remembering our covenants, remembering God, remembering His goodness and blessings, remembering His commandments, remembering to build our foundation on Christ, remembering the lessons and testimonies of the prophets and people that have come before, remembering our ancestors and their sacrifices and faith, remembering the purpose of our existence and the goal to return to our Heavenly Father.

The Israelites have been wondering in the wilderness for many years and before entering the promised land there is much that they still need to learn.  I think it's interesting to consider how many times in the scriptures we are pointed back to the story of Moses and the Israelites and their wanderings in the wilderness and what they were to learn from these experiences.

I think the goal is to get the important things in our hearts, so that we are distracted, tempted, or deceived by other things that would make us forget these significant parts of our life.  The Jews wore phylacteries and fringes on their heads, clothes, and arms that contained scriptures helping them to always remember the Lord and His word.  We have things that remind us of Him - we might build memorials, hang pictures, or keep a journal to help us remember and honor the things that are important to us.  Most importantly we have the sacrament every week to remind us of Him.  As we always remember Him we are promised to have His spirit to be with us.

I have thought a lot this year about remembering.  It is hard to watch someone that you love forget significant events and even basic functions.  Alheizmer's is an extreme condition of forgetfulness, but it makes me reflect even more on the importance of remembering our blessings.  It was such a blessing today and this weekend to spend Memorial Day running around (literally) and seeing so many of the memorials of Washington, DC, reflecting on those who have gone before and preserved freedom.

Even more important than the freedom we enjoy today and the memorials built for people and events that have blessed us here in the last several hundred years, I am even more grateful for our Heavenly Father's eternal love and plan.  He does not forsake us or forget us (see Joshua 1:5, Isaiah 49:16)!  We are reminded of His love and His Son's love for us every week as we partake of the sacrament and promise to always remember Him.  Remembering Him brings the greatest hope, the promise of the Spirit, and clear purpose and direction.