Today Is the Day

Well, today is the day . . . the day that has lived in my thoughts for the last few weeks: we have Open House at school today from noon to 7:00 P.M. Our excited students will enter the building, both nervous and giddy with anticipation, waiting to see their new teachers and their old friends. They will wonder what we are like, and our first impressions are urgently important. I will smile, hug, and comfort both sixth grade parents and children today as they seek to transition into middle school, a big scary place. I will welcome back old students who will return to me this year for round two. I will be a willing diplomat and caregiver because I love this day! I love assuring parents that I will adore their children and care for them with intentionality. I love looking every student directly in the eye, allowing them to see my honest desire to know them, appreciate them, teach them, and love them. God has allowed me to be a tiny part of this mission field, and I am both humbled and grateful, but this big day is not all that is on my mind this morning.

Oh, the joys of Facebook! My nephew sent me a message last night, asking if I had some kind of surgery. He must have seen something on FB that made him wonder, so he called my dad, but my dad couldn't remember. N ow, we've talked multiple times every single week since my surgery, but he couldn't remember that I had it. Now, I'm sensitive enough to know that in recent weeks as I have spoken to him, it has been very clear that his memory has taken a downward spiral in the last year, but not remembering the surgery? That struck me deep in my core, and it made me think this morning about the precious gift of memory.

In my toughest days, I use my memory to recall the times when God has been clearly visible in my life, when He has answered my prayers, when He has given me victory when I could not possibly win on my own. I recall scripture verses that give me strength, and I cling to them. But what if I reach a day when I can't remember those things? What happens then? Let me go ahead and say that I don't have a clear cut answer for this. I know that I will continue to read and study God's Word and create new memories, new ways of holding on . . . but I guess what I want to say is this: thank God this morning for your memory. It sounds odd, but it's what I'm going to do as soon as I finish this blog. I'm going to thank Him for allowing me to read His Word and remember it; I'm going to thank Him to allowing me to remember the times He has enabled me to live the tenacious life; I'm going to thank Him, too, for always remembering me. Every now and then, when I feel out on a limb, I remind myself . . . thank goodness for memory . . . that God never forgets me. He knows my name and cares for the things that concern me. Wow . . . what a good thing to remember because guess what --- today is the day the Lord has made! Let's rejoice!