“There’s an obvious difference,” Stan began, “between learning something new about God and being reminded of something I already know.”
“That makes sense to me,” I responded. “Why do you bring that up?”
“Because in my relationship with God, I tend to forget things I know,” Stan replied. “And I’m not always eager to learn new things.”
“In addition,” he said, “the apostle Peter, in his second letter, reminded me of this whole subject earlier this morning.”
“In fact, what Peter wrote is, I think, an exact reflection of what my attitude should be regarding the Holy Spirit’s role in reminding me of who I am in Christ as well as what that is supposed to mean for me on this side of eternity.”
“That sounds like a lot of reminding,” I replied with a smile.
“It is,” Stan said. “And the reason for that is because I need a lot of reminding. If I am not reminded, I tend to go off on my own, following my own path rather than the path God has for me.”
Continuing, he said, “It’s not that I don’t know what it is that God has for me to be and to do, it’s that I forget — and sometimes the forgetting is on purpose because I choose not to remember!”
“Okay,” I replied, “that’s the remembering part. What about the part of learning something new about God?”
“That, I think,” Stan said, “goes to the heart of what Jesus said about eternal life.”
“Jesus said that eternal life is knowing God the Father and Jesus the Son. I will never know the Father and the Son as fully as possible on this side of eternity, but I am to pursue that knowledge as long as I am still here, waiting for the train.”
“Learn something new,” I replied, “and remember what I know. How am I supposed to do that?”
“For me,” Stan said, “it’s all about giving the Holy Spirit unlimited permission to lead, along with my commitment to follow. I am to be open to be reminded of what I know, as well as being open to learn what I don’t!”
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Therefore, I shall always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. 2 Peter 1:12.
And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. John 17:3.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for all you have shown me about what it means to walk with you on this side of eternity, working out the salvation you have worked in through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And thank you for all that you have for me in knowing you and Jesus more deeply on this side of eternity. I confess that too often I forget what you have already taught me, sometimes on purpose because I do not want to remember. Please forgive me. And please, Father, help me to remember all you have for me to remember, as well as leading me to want to know you as deeply as is humanly possible. Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: We all have a tendency to forget. It is part of the human condition, especially as we age. As well, sometimes we just don’t want to learn new things, especially about God, thinking we know all we need to know. That is not what God wants. Where are you in remembering and learning? Where do you want to be? What does that look like?
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Comments, questions, suggestions, and the like can be addressed to S. Tory Teller at: waiting4thetrain@gmail.com.
Waiting for the Train 