Remembering

I know I said I was planning to talk about boundaries next, but a story came to me and I wanted to share it with you.  

During 2013, a few of my friends and I participated in a Beth Moore scripture memorization event.  This was the first time that I've ever memorized scripture in a disciplined way, and it's hard to really explain how much it meant to me.  I memorized a lot of verses that I've always kind of known, but didn't know exactly, and I also memorized a good number of verses that pertained to different things that I went through during the course of the year.  As a counselor, I know quite a few tools for fighting fear and anxiety, but I can truly say nothing has ever helped me personally the way memorizing scripture did.  Those verses hid themselves in my heart and they continue to pop right up just when I need them.  The incentive for this particular memorization program was the opportunity to attend a Beth Moore conference for the price of FREE this January.  So a few weeks ago Susan, Lesley, Emily, and I headed to Houston to hear what Beth had to say.  

I am typically pretty diligent when it comes to making preparations, but this event came after a very busy week, so I just gathered my things and got in the car that Friday afternoon in a bit of a rush.  I hadn't really thought much about how long the car ride to Houston was going to last due to being limited on my time that week,  but for some reason I assumed it was an hour or two past Baton Rouge, where we would be stopping to pick up our friend Emily.  

Somewhere along the way we encountered a POSITIVELY DREADFUL traffic jam situation that greatly lengthened the time of our trip.  It involved a detour through some unchartered territory on the back roads of south Louisiana, but Susan was able to carry us through with her excellent navigating skills. It was sometime around this point that I realized Houston is, in fact, four and half hours away from Baton Rouge. I then realized things weren't looking so good for our arrival time.

We finally made it to Baton Rouge, where we acquired both Emily and dinner from Chick Fil A.  We were already starting to feel weary, but we had told Beth we would be there (via electronic sign up, of course) so on we pressed.  Now let it be known, the group of ladies I was traveling with is no stranger to the late night road trip.  However, road tripping is all fun and games until you have risen at 4:30 am and worked many, many hours the week prior to your travels.  We visited very hard with each other like good friends do, and when my eyeballs started rolling back in my head it was time to pull out the music.  Obviously, our soundtrack of choice consisted of a nice combination of Garth Brooks Greatest Hits, One Direction, and Steven Curtis Chapman.  With Garth on our side we were able to arrive safely at our hotel at the wee hour of 3  am.  I think it's very safe to say that we were the last conference attendees to fall asleep that night, as the ladies who attended this event didn't really strike me as a late night bunch. 

We rose to greet the day what felt like moments after falling asleep, got ready, and headed to the church.  A fun fact is that to say we were among the youngest ladies present is a severe understatement, but we just took this as a sign that we were among women of wisdom.  Now let me say this-I did not grow up knowing who Beth Moore was.  I think I might have heard of her after changing churches in late high school, but I didn't really know who she was until the past few years.  I've done a couple of her studies and really enjoyed them, but I've never heard her speak, so I didn't really know what to expect.  But what a word she brought. 

Here comes the important part of this nonsense.  Beth spoke about memory that day, and while I am still processing many things that she said, one specific verse stood out to me:

I will remember the deeds of The Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.  

Psalms 77:11

I first came across this verse when I was reading a book last summer, and it has become a favorite for me. The whole chapter is about a person who is in a bad place and feels alone, but chooses to remember the deeds of The Lord.  I love the straightforward and simple idea of remembering the things that The Lord has done for me.  When I am waiting, waiting, waiting on The Lord or when trusting gets hard I like to think back on the uncountable ways He has come through for me.  The simple things I might have taken for granted, the things I pleaded for, the times He surprised me by giving me what I needed instead of what I thought I wanted, the times He saved me from making huge mistakes, and the times He blessed me with immeasurably more than I could have ever hoped or imagined.  And when I do this, I know for so many reasons that He will never leave me.  

The rest of our big weekend passed in a blur of a much needed nap, a slightly overwhelming trip to Ikea, an abundance of Tex-Mex, and large quantities of laughter.  I feel thankful for friends who are like family and a God I can count on always.  

I've been doing too much worrying and not enough remembering lately.  This week, I will work on the remembering. 

Whitney