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Unforgettable

  • September 1, 2026
  • Posted by: Carolyn Mahal
  • Category: Devotions
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…Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. – James 1:22-25

Recently, I was having dinner with my sister, and we found ourselves talking about some of the events of our childhood. She kept bringing up stories of things that we had done as kids – mainly situations where I got in trouble and she didn’t. It was a fun evening of reminiscing about people, places, and things long left in the past. Maybe you’ve experienced a similar evening with siblings or friends; swapping stories of childhood escapades. If not, I highly recommend it for a couple of reasons. First, hearing other people’s version of shared events helps to fill in the gaps in your own mind. Maybe they know more about the story, or they perceived the outcome differently. Secondly, and perhaps more significantly, they help to impress upon us the fascinating creation known as the human brain.

At the risk of sounding like a poorly written riddle or a Yogi Berra catch phrase, it is impossible to remember everything we remember. While everyone can appreciate having their memories jogged, what really impressed me about the conversation was just how deeply these memories had been stored. Some of the stories we shared hadn’t entered my thoughts for decades, but once they were mentioned, I was astonished at just how quickly and how vividly my brain recalled the information. But what I now find equally ironic is what I did with those same memories once the dinner conversation ended. I filed them back into my brain. Life has moved on, and both me and my brain have done so as well. In fact, as I sat here writing this, I tried to think of a story from that dinner that I could use as an example, and I couldn’t remember everything we discussed. These stories haven’t been purged from my memory, just tucked away until they are called upon again.

Of course, there are lots of other things that are embedded into my memory that are much easier to remember: my social security number, traffic laws, important dates, my wife’s favorite flavor of ice cream, etc…  These are things that I think about more frequently, and as such, they seem to be housed in a more readily accessible section of my mind. Some of these things are very important, like the password to my online bank account. Some of them are insignificant, like knowing the name of the woman who will answer the phone if I dial 867-5309. Either way, it’s all quite fascinating.

When something enters our mind, we determine how deeply into our life we will allow it to go.  Some things are just for basic knowledge, some things are critically important, and then of course there’s the other stuff that lingers in-between. So, how do we decide what stays at the forefront of our minds and what just fades into the recesses? It depends on how much we value the information or the experience we just had. Or in other words; It’s one thing to know something, but it’s something else to live it.

You know God’s word.  You’ve heard it, read it, studied it, and discussed it. But do you live it?  The Bible directs us to cast our burdens onto Jesus. Do we? The scriptures teach us that we will be blessed when we walk in obedience of the will of God. Do we believe and do it? The Bible says that Christ has paid the price for our sins, so we need not dwell upon our past mistakes. Do we trust it?

If we know the Word, if we hear it and believe it but we don’t live it, we deny ourselves the experience of knowing the fullness of what God has done for us. Why would we choose to put limitations around our relationship with God?  Maybe we’re afraid that living according to will of God will change our lives forever? If so, you would be right. Our lives will change and change for the better!

Don’t simply know God and His love. Live it. Open your hearts to the Holy Spirit and let Him direct you to follow God’s will. He will bring you comfort, strength, peace and joy to fill your life and the lives of those around you, including your sister when she’s dredging up your past!

 

Devotion by Richard Schumacher

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