Memory stones

I have just seen one of my kids go through his first year of school. 

In the first week of school he received an award for meeting the expectations of the school.

We used a magnetic clip to hold that award onto the fridge, every time he went to the fridge, there was a reminder of the thrill of receiving a reward. By the end of the year, that clip was so heavy with awards received that it would fall off the fridge at random times (often when we were asleep). 

Walk into an athletes home and you will find trophies, photos and momentos from past victories. These objects evoke memories of the past that inspire hope for the future. 

Using something common as a reminder of the extraordinary is nothing new. Throughout the bible, both God, and his chosen nation used everything from songs to holy days to remember the wonderful things God had done for them. 

After 40 years of wandering the desert, waiting to enter the land God had promised to them, God's chosen people (Israel) were camped on a river back remembering. God had freed them from evil overlords with 10 supernatural plagues. He had saved them from their enemies time and again, provided miracle food, kept them healthier than any other nation, stopped their clothes and shoes from wearing out on the journey. All this must have been on their minds as they prepared to follow Joshua, their new leader, and finally cross a river and take the promised land for their own. 

and Joshua said to them, “Cross over again to the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, so that this may be a sign among you; when your children ask later, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ then you shall say to them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall become a memorial for Israel forever.” Joshua 4:5‭-‬7 AMP

It is unfortunate that most of us find it much easier to remember the bad things that have happened to us than the good. 

These people didn't just experience good things on their journey. There were times when they were hungry or thirsty, and a whole generation died out in the time it took them. It seems like they were complaining about the bad times more than they were thankful for the good. 

They needed to remember that God is good, and wants good things for them, remember the times God came to their rescue and the mighty things he did. And the next generation would need those stories retold, to know that just as God performed miracles for their parents and grandparents, he would do it again for them. 

To anyone else, it would just be a pile of stones. To these children, the stones were stories of the past and promises for the future.

I once read an article on how to declutter and minimise. The author acknowledged that one of the greatest problems with doing this is that many of the items we keep have special memories attached to them. Their solution was to take photos of all these items, keep the memories, remove the clutter. I still like to keep physical items.

I now have the opportunity to open old boxes with my kids. "This was given to me when I was your age and these are the memories and the stories that go with it". 

I have a wrist band that I wear most days. Apologies to those from Stairway Church, I got it from their conference "More", and to them that's all it was, a way of being identified as an attendee and getting in the front door. 

To me, it now carries much more meaning. My mother once said, "I'm filled, but never satisfied". I remember this when I see the band on my wrist, I have the Holy Spirit in me, but more is always available. I have memories of "God moments" from that conference. It is a reminder to search through my memory for moments when I know God was moving in my life, and to look for opportunities to bring God and his "more" into situations in my future. 

My daughter started school this year. Her first week, she received an award… 

aa.