Years ago during a time before I knew Christ, I was in counseling trying to move through a river of depression that streamed through the center of my life, while I also moved through thickets of both small and large traumas from my life that fenced me into an insular, isolated existence of self involvement. It was also during this time I told the therapist I felt I had a repressed memory of something beautiful but that I couldn’t quite remember.
How then did I need to breathe in the words of Hildegard of Bingen, “In faithful remembrance, I breath the fragrance of roses, which spring forth from the thorns.”
Themes of remembrance, threads weaved through pages of the Bible, tell the epic story of human lives filled with both anguish and joy pivoting on both the forgetfulness and remembrance of God. Themes of remembrance include God remembering the people:
As Jesus is dying on the cross, one of the criminals next to him cries out, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” -Luke 23:42
“God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided.” Genesis 8:1
“Remember these things, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant, O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.” Isaiah 44:21
Yet, remembrance in scripture is a two way street, a reciprocal calling for us to also remember God and God’s holy ways.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” -Exodus 20:8-11
“Remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes.” Numbers 15:25
“And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand” Deut 5:15
“He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” -Luke 22:19
Just the same, we long for God’s edenic plan for heaven on earth. Remembrance calls out within the boundlessness of our faith, from the cellars of human consciousness, to return to Garden of Eden before the fall.
In fact I think this is the repressed memory I had of something beautiful. A longing to return to the Garden.
Yet, how often our longings for God get shrouded by the dark cloak of forgetfulness! How often we forget that the kingdom of God is within, right here right now, that, with remembrance, depression lifts, anxiety that rules our days dissipates, and joy awaits us around the corner with welcoming arms.
Remembrance, like a wailing child finally drinking the warm milk from her mother’s breast, returns us to the blazing light of God’s nourishing love.
Reminding us that God’s kingdom is at hand.
Reminding us that we are sons and daughter of light.
Children and servants of Christ.
As Hildegard writes, “Christ shakes up your spirit with gusty winds of memory, so that it opens itself to good will”.
What causes you to forget? What can you do today to help you remember God, to return to the Garden?
We love your comments!!
I long with all my heart to be known in a deep way that only God can fulfill in me. What a comfort it is to me that our great and awesome God remembers little ole me. I don’t know that our culture celebrates the acts of remembrance as much as past cultures, and yet, it is a part of our human spirit to need this, isn’t it? You paint beautiful pictures with your words. Thank you for helping me to remember.
I love your beautiful comment Ashley. I don’t think we celebrate the acts of remembrance enough in our
fast past culture that has lost so many of the religious rituals that help us remember–and that helps
us celebrate the amazing gift of being remembered by God. Thank you for your encouragement, too! Blessings Ashley!
Thank you for this post! It brings to mind one of my favorite life passages, Psalm 103 — which I read as a constant call for my soul to FORGET NOT 🙂
Thank you for reminding me of Psalm 103.. Forget Not.. Thank you Pia!
Conversation with my husband and friends about God’s goodness helps me remember – Rob and I remember together. That’s one of the beautiful aspects of our marriage… trusting God together, living through disappointments together, lifting each other up with prayer – together… and celebrating God’s goodness and faithfulness together!
So love how marriage leads us back to God, how God’s plan for marriage is being one together and one in God!
Thank you for your words today. I need to be in constant remembrance of where all my blessings flow from. I think the key is to ” look unto god in every thought” and always have a prayerful heart.
I’m grateful that you came out of your cloud of darkness and are a bright shining example for everyone today xx
I love the simple words rich in meaning “look unto God in every thought”. Thank you, Jade for your encouragement!
The busyness of life is often the culprit causing me to forget God’s faithfulness. But if I were to be truly honest, I’d say that my misplaced priorities are what get in the way. When I remember God and put God first, everything else falls into place. Thanks for the reminder 🙂
Yes Kathy. There is such beauty in rituals of the past to help us remember. Despite my issues with the Catholic church and my mother….I will be eternally grateful for the rituals of that faith. If I take the time in the morning to pray and meditate….I find a sense of peace and greater purpose vs. when I start attending to the daily to do list right away. Just like any great friendship, the more I communicate with the Divine…the more I am reminded of my best path. Thank you Kathy. I love Hildegard …she was a queen of remembering. I am looking at the beautiful poster you gifted me as I rise this morning: Paradise begins in Silence….it helps me “remember” every morning.
I, too, received much from the rituals during my early Catholic church years..they were beautiful!
And without daily time with God, we surely forget..love what you say, that Hildegard was the queen of
remembering! So true! Oh, so happy the poster brings you daily reminder each time you pass it by..
beautiful!!
Yes, we have the longing for the garden. Your great post makes me think of one of my favorite C.S. Lewis quotes “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”
thanks Lynn, I love that CS Lewis quote!
Beautiful post. Yes, we long for the garden. Your post made me think of “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Writing helps me remember God, as it is through writing that I am learning about Him too. He often surprises me with what words are coming forth. Interesting, is that sometimes I know I am still working on faithfulness, yet my written words are already faithful. So we are already full of faith in Him! We just need to remember that, like you say!
Hi Lynn, writing and sharing blogs are a kind of church for me these days, and a spiritual practice. I love how you say how God surprises you with the words that come forth — and how true that somehow writing helps us remember we are already faithful!
OH friend, you ALWAYS inspire me. I am going to come back and read this again tonight when the kids aren’t swarming me- but oh how this touched me so deeply in my soul.
This stimulating distracting world we live in- pulls me so often away from His Holy milk I need to consume. I don’t stop and drink it in enough. I need to quiet it ALL, in order to allow the truth in remembrance to set in and lift my soul to this sanctification.
Thank you. As I hurry off to spend the day at the park, this will be swirling in my heart as my longing for Him will bring me back home to the garden… in time.
You are such an encouragement to me Chris, I was sharing with my mother-in-law how I met a special friend through blogging (you!)..
It’s so hard as mothers to get the Holy milk (love this) we need..yet how essential it is to remember God for our souls, for being better
women and mothers! I’m blessed by your words and longing for God…I know how God loves your heart!
Ooooh, I like that Hildegarde quote. Thank you for sharing!
my favorite!
“Yet, how often our longings for God get shrouded by the dark cloak of forgetfulness!” I love the imagery in this sentence! Busyness can cause me to wear that cloak. Slowing down, being still, always helps me to remove the cloak and live in his light. Thank you, Kathy, for the reminder to put Him first.
Oh, thank you Nancy for your lovely comment..And yes, how I know Busyness as the cloak of forgetfulness, in
fact I’m in a very busy season right now and have to work extra hard to carve out time be with God without distractions.
I’m so blessed you have been encourage by the words I’ve shared, how we all need one another!
Greetings.
God bless.
thank you Victor!