I am one of those people that just doesn’t have a great memory. My husband can remember details of things that happened when he was a kid in detail. I can’t remember what I had for breakfast yesterday morning, or why I entered the kitchen at this moment. Whenever somebody needs to remember something–a name, an event, etc–I always send them to Matt. They have a way better chance with him than with me.
Often, even people that have really good memories struggle with being forgetful when it comes to the good things God has done for us. How quickly we forget what God did for us in the past. And yet, we have long-term memory of all the ways God has failed us in the past. Why is that? Why is it so easy to remember the bad and forget the good?
The Disciples’ Short-Term Memory Loss
The disciples had a problem with short-term memory loss as well. Jesus does the miracle of the loaves and fishes and provides supernaturally for hundreds of people. And yet, soon after, they forgot about it. Jesus calls them on it in Matthew 16.
At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “You have so little faith! Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? Don’t you understand even yet? Don’t you remember the 5,000 I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you picked up?
Matthew 16:7-9 NLT
Their Lack of Faith
Jesus asks this question, “Don’t you remember?” He questions the fact that they already forgot what he did. And he directly ties their lack of faith to the fact that they couldn’t remember what he had done. His indictment of their faith was simply because they forgot. They forgot the incredible miracle he had performed right in front of their eyes.
If the disciples forgot and they spent time with Jesus every day, what are the chances that we won’t forget? Pretty slim.
David’s Long-Term Memory
How did David remember God’s goodness? He wrote it down. That’s why we have the book of Psalms today. David recorded God’s goodness, so he wouldn’t forget.
But then I recall all you have done, O Lord;
I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.Psalm 77:11
If we want to remember God’s goodness, we have to reprogram our minds to remember. How do we do that? Here are three easy ways to do that each and every day.
3 Ways to Reprogram Our Minds
- Cultivate daily gratitude. I do this through my Faithfully Stepping Journal. I take the first five minutes of my morning time routine to write down all the things I’m grateful for.
- Cultivate long-term gratitude. Write down what God has done in the past, so we don’t forget in the future. Matt has a leather journal that we write down the things God has done for us–how he’s provided for us, the ways he’s blessed us, etc.
- Choose to trust in God’s goodness. It’s a choice, a choice to believe in God’s faithfulness and goodness. It’s a choice today to choose to remember the good God has done for me. It’s also a choice to focus on all the bad things that has happened in the past. The choice is yours to make…each and every day.
Remembering God’s goodness and focusing on that, even in the midst of hard circumstances strengthens our faith. And it’s that faith that will see us through this storm and the next. But we have to choose to strengthen that faith; we have to make a choice to remember God’s goodness and not forget when the times get hard.
More Encouragement
For more on this topic, read my post, 10 Things to Try When Today is Too Hard to Face.
