A lesson from 1 Samuel has been lingering in my heart. The passage emphasizes the importance of remembering – of looking back at God’s faithfulness so we can trust Him with the future.
After recently talking with a woman who lost her sweet dad only months ago, grief I often keep tucked away rose back to the surface, especially with Father’s Day approaching. Even twenty-three years later, there is a tender and raw ache when I think about my dad. My mind wanders to all the change he never got to see. New technology. New jobs. New churches. Family hardships. And, perhaps most notably, several grandchildren.
The only grandchild he ever met was my oldest daughter. I still remember watching her crawl across his hospital bed as he talked about the fun we would have together in the spring. We thought she was a “busy” baby. Then numbers two and three arrived and completely redefined the term. Two and three taught us that babies get into trash cans, eat dog food left out, and somehow hear the word “no” as an invitation to negotiate.
My dad would have laughed at all of it. He would have loved hearing about the time my son convinced his little sister that the tornado siren meant aliens were coming to abduct them. The subsequent screams resulted in a visit from a concerned neighbor. He would have been proud to see how our kids have grown in their faith, following Jesus in their unique journeys.
As I reflected on all that has happened in the last twenty-three years – the joys, the losses, the unexpected turns – I found myself doing exactly what Samuel called God’s people to do: remember. Remember God’s steady faithfulness through it all:
“Only fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart. Consider what great things He has done for you” (1 Samuel 12:24).
Life is full of blessings and heartbreaks. We cannot control either. But our calling is not to manage every outcome or protect ourselves from every difficulty. Our calling is much simpler…and sometimes much harder:
To trust Jesus. To serve Him with all our hearts. And to remember His great faithfulness.
Remembering God’s faithfulness matters because it reminds us of what comes first.
Before the family milestones.
Before the celebrations.
Before the successes and disappointments.
Before the plans for the day.
Before the questions about the future.
𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔
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Katie- Father’s Day (really EVERY day) remains hard for me after Dad’s Home Going
twenty-seven years ago! Remembering is a daily exercise of God’s faithfulness in the joys and sorrows we shared through the 53 years I enjoyed with him! Thank you for this article and reminding me of God’s faithfulness in our entire life both happiness and loss!