You sometimes hear that we should always look forward. Yet, sometimes I see the benefit of looking backwards at “reminders.” What do I mean?

This past weekend, I was able to get out of the house for a few errands which required some driving. Now, that may not seem as if it is a big deal to someone else, but it was a big deal. Getting out of the house is still a big deal. To be able to do several errands all in one day is, quite frankly, a huge deal. There are still many restrictions on what I can do and when I can get out. It is not taken for granted. (There may have been a lot of “joyful noise” going on as I drove. It was okay, though, as the windows were rolled up!)

It hit me that the darkness of the last few years makes the light shine more brightly. Joshua 4:1-8 talks of the children of Israel making a memorial of stones to show what God had done. They took twelve tribes and made this memorial or “reminder” as a way to tell future generations of the goodness of God.

It strikes me that sometimes we need to simply pause and set up or remember the reminders of what God has done or is doing. Hard days and “darkness” will come again. That is life in this fallen world. We need “memorials” or “reminders” to look back on to see what God has done or to see how we have grown through the trials. (Sometimes the progress is not in physical changes, but in spiritual growth.)

Today, I encourage you to take some time to set up reminders of what God is doing. I believe it will bless your heart as it did mine!