“Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe His commands, His laws and His decrees that I am giving you this day.” (Deuteronomy 8:11 NIV)
Last night I dreamt about my grandparents. My daughter and I had driven up to their lake house in northern Minnesota, a small cabin in the Big Woods. The hand-hewn log structure was built by my great grandfather and his engineering students sometime early in the last century. Sarah and I were settling in – a strange thing in another person’s home when they’re not there – when my Grandpa Don walked into the room. He smelled of pipe smoke, as he sometimes did when Grandma wasn’t nearby. He was older than I remembered and didn’t recognize me at first.
“Grandpa Don, it’s me, Anna.”
My simple statement seemed to jog his memory and with it he said “We’ll need to let your Grandma Ann know you’re here.” He called out for her just as she rounded the corner. She was just as surprised to see us as we were to see her. She pulled me into a hug; the same comfortable height and body shape as my mother, and just held me there, both of us soaking in the feel of family.
I wasn’t particularly close to my grandparents. Distance and disappointments kept them at bay most of my life. I’ve always wished it was different and it was nice to remember them, to grasp some connection with my people again. It’s been about a decade since my grandparents passed, and their memory was beginning to deteriorate a bit. I woke up this morning sure again of who they were.
God asks the Israelites (and us) to remember Him. He intentionally ties this act of remembering to His commands and decrees because the law serves to re-center His people on Him day after day, year after year. The rituals, the festivals, the sacrifices and offerings are all in place to remind the worshiper of His ongoing presence. If we fail to observe these instructions, our awareness of Him fades away as well. Pride in personal accomplishment swells and God’s people lose their connection with Him.
“If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.” (Deuteronomy 8:19 NIV)
Remembering keeps us connected to our Creator-Sustainer. Forgetting propels us from His presence. Destruction feels a little harsh, but what else can we expect when we push off from our Source? Hell is a total absence of God’s presence.
Lord, help us remember You through our regular life rhythms. May we successfully integrate Your commands, laws and decrees into our stories. Keep us close as we continue to honor You. Amen.