My short term memory is not so great. I think all of my memory-making ability was used up in childhood. I can seriously remember what my baby food tasted like, but I can’t remember something one of my kids said to me yesterday!
This inability to remember drives my family crazy, mostly because I won’t admit it. Even though forgetting day to day little things is inconvenient, it is not the worst of my memory problems. Turns out I have the memory of a disciple.
You would think that Jesus’ disciples would be the most faith-filled guys around. They were there for every miracle. They lived with Jesus day in and day out. However, they seem like they have the memories of proverbial goldfish!
For example, they see Jesus feed over 5,000 people using just a few loaves of bread and a couple fish. Then just a couple pages later in my Bible, they need to feed a crowd again and seem to have completely forgotten the first miracle of abundance. This time Jesus feeds over 4,000 people with 7 loaves and a few small fish. And yet, on the very next page they are all worried because they forgot to take some bread on a trip across the lake!
At this point, Jesus sounds a little like my family. “How have you already forgotten that I fed over 9,000 people recently starting with just a tiny amount of food?” Okay, maybe I am paraphrasing, but Jesus does rebuke them for their lack of faith and also their forgetfulness. This is where I am unfortunately similar to the disciples.
Jesus has provided for me over and over again in my life, one time literally giving me loaves and fishes, and yet I tend to forget. I begin to worry and plan. Then Jesus patiently shows up, yet again, and provides in a completely unexpected way. Beyond that, just as Jesus was more concerned about his disciples souls than their stomachs, I also sometimes focus on the temporary instead of the eternal.
Jesus is so good though, always gently reminding me that I can trust Him. He always, always takes care of me, even when I forget!
“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” Psalm 9:1
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