Write it down

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My grandpa used to tell me that a short pencil is better than a long memory any day. He is so right! That scene inside SpongeBob’s brain searching through all the filing cabinets to find the memory of his name is starting to feel all too true lately. I have reached the point where I can watch movies that I’ve seen before and it’s like watching them for the first time all over again. Such is life. Whether we like it or not there is a limit to our capacity to remember details. While this can be a shot to the ego and somewhat lamentable, the larger tragedy is that so many of our experiences of learning and growing and walking with God are forgotten and will never be passed on to others.

Several times in John’s gospel writing, and in his letters, John tells us that his account of the life of Jesus and the teachings that he shares are intended to provide the assurance we need to believe. It was important to John to write things down so that people could read his eyewitness account and believe in the story of Jesus. Why don’t we do this? Now, I realize we don’t need another gospel account, and besides that, we’re not firsthand eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life. However, we do have a story to share, the story of what we have seen and experienced of God. And guess what, it’s not for our sake that people remember our lives, but so that people will be able to know God—that the next generation can have confidence and know why we chose to deny self, take up our cross daily, and follow Jesus. Paul said it well in Romans 10:14, “…and how can they hear unless someone tells them.” Take a moment today to remember, and write it down.

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