Remembering

This weekend, I had the privilege to go to the Navigators' Sunland Region Winter Conference, entitled "Remember".

And remember I did. From the moment I drove onto the grounds at the Pine Valley Bible Conference Center, waves of memories from my time on staff rushed over me. From the familiar dining hall and lodges, to the familiar faces of Navigator staff, to the familiar faces of UA students, to the familiar energy that emanates from a crowd of several hundred students singing songs, laughing at campus videos, and drinking in the Word from some more experienced speakers, it felt like coming home.

I cherished time with my old staff team, getting to catch up a bit, but not quite as much as I would have liked. I cherished a breakfast with women from my old Bible study, marveling at what God is doing in their lives. I cherished time with former students now on staff, serving at Arizona and Hawaii. And I remembered God's faithfulness in my friends' lives. And I remembered His faithfulness in my own life.

Why is it, I wonder, so easy to forget? Why is it so easy to forget His faithfulness, and His goodness, and His love? So easy that when I face a trial or discouragement or the unknown, I question His faithfulness, goodness, and love. Not once has He given me reason to doubt. Not once has He let me down. In fact, He is so faithful, good, and loving, that He chose to send His Son to die on the cross so that I might be in relationship with Him. The gospel is the most convincing, compelling, incredible evidence of His relentless pursuit of me. A pursuit driven by an unfathomable love for me. When I do remember it, I scoff at the idea that I could forget. How could I forget such a love? How could I possibly act in any way other than gratitude and a surrendering of my life to my pursuer? But I do forget. And then I do act out of selfishness and a desire to control my life.

But HE doesn't forget. And He doesn't stop loving me. And He doesn't stop pursuing me.

Lord, let me be a woman who remembers You.