by Julie Yee
25 October 2009
Lately, I seem to be more forgetful and less remembering. So I have a reminder pad where I jot down things I need to remember to do them. No, no, I am not going to write about death because you see, I read them, hear them and sometimes see them so often these days that it is near impossible not to remember them.
Recently, my husband’s siblings decided they wanted to remember their late father. So twenty one of them (exc.l 3 deceased) held a great reunion, where more than a hundred family members graced the occasion. Besides taking us down memory lane with flashes of black & white pictures to coloured ones, they are also in the process of drawing up a family tree that boasts of three generations and by the time the album is ready, it will boasts of four. An image of my late father-in-law smiles out through the glass prism that my husband and our children each received with inscribed words, “In Remembrance of ….” It is definitely difficult to forget such a man. While they were busy tossing cheers and singing praises, I remember a particular woman, my late mother-in-law who played a very important role in his life. She was a very good, supportive wife; unassuming & undemanding, a good home-maker and housekeeper, a mother who took good care of her children and brought them up with good values; a woman despite little education knew the importance of it and pushed her children to excel in their studies. Of course, not everyone did well. And today I see the fruits of her labour in her children, a strong bond that still exits between each of her children.
We too remember great women who had contributed to humanity, society, and many to the entertainment world with their music and plays. We mount them on picture frames, on minted coins and currencies, on stamps, on T-shirts, on sculptors, or penned them in books. I came across some voters choice on great women who lived before: they were Joan of Arc, Elizabeth I, Mathilda of Flanders (her son was Henry II and she was the granddaughter of William the Conqueror), Indira Gandhi, Catherine the Great. The list goes on……..
God also intended for us to remember great works done by godly women. And knowing we are forgetful creatures, He had men inscribed them on tablets of stone, in scrolls and in parchments. He inspired over forty men, over a period of 1600 years to write the whole bible so we will never forget. He reminded the Israelites to write the laws on their foreheads, on doorposts so that they will remember. Later we saw the apostle Paul, Peter, John wrote epistles to the Churches to remind them to remember and defend their faith, to serve the Lord by living an exemplary life, to share the good news of salvation to the lost for the promise of a better home. Our Lord Jesus wanted to be remembered too. “Do this in remembrance of me”, He said during His Last Supper with his twelve apostles (Lk22:19)
The scriptures have on numerous occasions reminded us to REMEMBER. Remembrance helps us take control of our circumstances and act upon it. It brings closeness, togetherness and happiness. It can also bring awareness, even loss and pain that makes us a stronger, a wiser person. Remembrance helps us avoid making the same mistakes like Lot’s wife. We can choose to be godly or worldly. It is good to remember even those things that we want to forget.
God remembers Hannah’s prayer for a male child. In 1 Sam. 1:19, And Hannah answered Eli, ‘I am not drunk. I have a burdened heart, a sorrowful spirit. I have poured out my soul before the Lord.’ Eli replied, “The God of Israel grants thee thy petition.”
Hannah then went home, “and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her”. Mary, a virtuous woman was picked by God to carry the child Jesus who was going to save the world (Matt 1:22). There are many decisions in life that we are going to have to make. Sometimes making the right one is vital. The closer you get to God, the better the chances of us making the right choice. Ecc.12:1-6 tells us to “Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth”…don’t wait until our memory, eyesight and hearing fail and our legs trembling before we decide to serve the Lord.
While Jesus’ genealogy spans a total of thirty-two generations from Abraham right down to Joseph (Matthew 1:1-18), these generations would not have been possible without the role of women. Most importantly, Remember! We have a family tree that spans across the universe and through eternity. .And yes, we should be glad we are part of this family where our Lord will remember us and write our names in the book of life to be remembered through eternity, if we continue steadfastly in doing His will. He also warns us that if we forget Him, we shall surely perish.
So Remember!
