Thursday, January 26, 2006

Reminders

“And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.” – Deuteronomy 8:2

Reminders. They’re nasty, tactless, and vicious. They can be rude, crude, and downright ugly. They mock us at every turn and strike without warning. They’re unwanted guests that view us as vacant lots in which to set up shop. From age spots to bald spots, from Just For Men to Oil of Olay, from Dr. Shoal’s footpads to orthopedic Nikes, the handwriting is on the wall: “Age is getting the upper hand.” A reminder we would just as soon forget.

An innocent remark that you’re “getting a little thin on top” strikes deeper than you’ll admit, and serves as another reminder that you’re no spring chicken. An old college yearbook brings back the days when you wore a size 6 dress. Without hesitation this tactless intruder tells you your present size is somewhere between your phone number and zip code, and another reminder bears its teeth like an angry canine.

Insensitive as they are, reminders will blitz if given the opportunity. Been to the nursery lately? The kids who used to occupy the playpens are preparing for SATs. Yet with a sigh of bewilderment we quote those all too familiar words, “My, how time flies.”

Reminders. Why don’t they just leave us alone? Why don’t they go back to the pit where they belong? Why don’t they stop plaguing us night and day with the philosophy that “our cup is not half full but half empty?” How does Scripture suggest we handle these professional irritants? Proverbs tells us, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). Not bad advice. Maybe we ought to change our frame of reference. Is it really all that bad that we’re getting older? We’re also getting a lot wiser. Life doesn’t play as many tricks on us as it used to. We’re able to sense that “something is rotten in the state of Denmark” well before we enter its gates. The ebb and flow of the world system is somehow more predictable and no longer takes us by surprise.

Sure the kids will be grown and gone before we know it. But is it really all that bad? I must admit I look forward to my tribe coming home for the holidays. And guess what? There are all kinds of reminders in our home. Pictures on the wall, photo albums, and slides that have frozen time tell the story of days gone by. We laugh together and rib each other over fond memories. We hold hands at the table, and perhaps a bit more firmly, as we thank God for His goodness. A kiss on my bald spot is followed by a few one liners from my offspring as our clan demonstrates a healthy sense of humor inherited from a home where reminders don’t rule but serve. Come to think of it, my cup’s not half empty or half full; it runneth over. That’s the way I see things.