Deuteronomy 4:9-10
" Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren. . .that they may learn to fear me all the days they live on the earth and that they may teach their children."

Why is it that some cultures are more prone to remember their heritage than others? In the Jewish culture of the Ancient Near East (and today, for that matter), the Israelites understood the value of heritage. It was a part of their very being. They often recited God's many blessings to their nation in song. They set up memorial feasts to commemorate past victories and God's provision. To this very day, stories of God's faithfulness to Israel serve as testimonials to His goodness. These stories contained in Scripture have survived more than three thousand years. They are not forgotten. In fact, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:6 that "these things became our examples."

We can learn a lot from past experiences. For example, I learned many years ago that you do not exceed the speed limit when driving through Jersey Village. (I will let you figure out how I learned that lesson!) In this day of high technology and electronic data, we are slowly abandoning the practice of passing down oral traditions to our children. We tend to spend more time focusing on the present and the future than the past. When is the last time you gathered your family around the kitchen table and shared a story from your childhood? Deuteronomy 4:9-10 reminds us not to forget the things our eyes have seen through the years. We need to store our life experiences in our hearts (even the painful ones) and pass them on to our children so that we can gain wisdom from them. One of the greatest things you can do as a parent is to talk with your children about God's hand of guidance through the years. Let them know that you fear God and that He has been with your family every step of the way.

God gave us a powerful resource when He gave us a memory. Admittedly, there are some things we would rather forget. But even the most painful memories have value--as long as we do not allow our painful memories to develop into bitterness or resentment. Bad memories only hold value if we turn them into something constructive by gleaning wisdom from those experiences. How is your memory? Maybe it is time for a family meeting. Ask each other, what are some of your memories from years gone by and what did God teach us through those experiences? In a way, all memories are precious--we just need to hang on to them.

J.B. Hixson, Th.M.
Associate Pastor
Grace Bible Church of Houston
jb@hixson.org