The story is told of two elderly ladies who had been friends for many decades and had shared all kinds of activities and adventures.  Lately, their activities were limited to a few times a week to play cards.  One day, as they were playing cards, one looked at the other and said, “Now don’t get mad at me.  I know we’ve been friends for a long time, but I just can’t think of your name.  I’ve thought and thought, but I can’t remember it.  Please tell me what your name is.”

Her friend glared at her – in fact, for three minutes just sat and glared at her.  Finally she said, “How soon do you need to know?”

Perhaps there is some truth to the notion that the older we get the more forgetful we become and the harder it is to remember things.  At least there are plenty of us who are ready to poke fun at aging and the forgetfulness associated with growing older.  However, we sometimes forget that forgetfulness is not just a condition of old age.  Sometimes is more a condition of time.  Let me explain.  

What are the things we tend to forget at any age? It is those things which over time cease to occupy a significant portion of our attention or thoughts because we do not rate them as high on our value list.  On more than one occasion my wife has asked me to pick up something at the store on my way home, only to have me arrive at home empty handed.  Why? It is not simply because I am growing older and more forgetful, but because I valued other things that were occupying my thoughts more than the task I promised to do.  Kids are always forgetting where they put things.  Why? Because it is not important to them until it is needed, and by then, because sufficient attention was not paid to where that item was placed, it was forgotten.  

THINGS WORTH REMEMBERING

Forgetfulness in the arena of picking up a gallon of milk at the store or finding a misplaced shoe is one thing, but in the arena of genuine faith and the transference of that faith from one generation to another, forgetfulness has eternal consequences.  When the Apostle Peter knew his life was rapidly coming to an end, he wrote these words:

“So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.  I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.  And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.” (2 Peter 1:12-15 italics mine)

So what are “these things” Peter felt compelled to make sure we remembered? They have to do with the things that characterize genuine faith.  There are four things in particular that Peter addresses in his opening remarks of this letter to those who belong to Christ.  Here they are:

1. Genuine faith is complete.  By God’s divine power we have been given everything we need for life and godliness.  Nothing more is needed.  God has already supplied ALL that we need.  
2. Genuine faith is secure in the promises of God.  Our faith, which is supplied by His own glory and goodness, leads to a depth of knowing Him which dispels all doubt about His trustworthiness.  We can rest secure in His promises.  
3. Genuine faith requires diligence on our part.  The idea of “adding” to our faith has nothing to do with our faith be incomplete or lacking something God was not able to provide.  We already saw that we have everything we need already.  Peter is reminding us that, just as God has lavished His grace and love upon us and given us everything we need for life and godliness, so we are now to take what has already been supplied and put it to use cultivating and exercising those things that characterize our participation in the divine nature.  Diligence in our faith means we raise it to its proper value and give it the attention it deserves.  
4. Genuine faith is effective and productive.  Peter reminds us that inattention to our faith will result is a loss of vision and a loss of memory.  On the other hand, as we give attention to our faith and cultivate it as Peter describes, we can be assured that our lives will be rewarding and a blessing to others.  

By inference, Peter is not only reminding us of these things, but also reminding us that we are to continually remind those coming after of us of these things as well.  Judges 2:10 gives us an insight into what happens when we forget: “After that whole generation (Joshua and the original inhabitants of the promised land) had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel.”

Wow! What a tragic and condemning statement.  How could a whole generation grow up not knowing or remembering? Because someone forgot to tell them.  It happened again after Gideon died: “No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals… and did not remember the Lord their God who had rescued them…” (Judges 8:33-34)

Over and over again we are warned in Scripture of the danger and consequences of forgetting and not remembering.  As grandparents, we have a vital responsibility to see that every effort is made to remind our children and grandchildren of “these things”.  From the time of Moses, God commanded grandparents to guard themselves diligently so that they would not forget what God had done, and that they would be faithful to pass on these things to the children and grandchildren (Dt.  4: 9-10).  

SIX PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS

1. So what can we do today that will help the following generations to remember the Lord and what he has done.  Let me suggest the following six things as very practical ways we can help our families know and remember those things that are true and vital:
2. Pray! Be on your knees privately seeking God’s counsel and wisdom, but also pray with other grandparents who desire to be conduits of God’s grace in their grandchildren’s lives.  I encourage you to participate in things like Praying Grandmothers which we highlighted last month.  
3. Talk with your grandchildren about the ways you see God working around you.  Let them know that, in spite of all the calamities and evil around us, God is still at work and performing marvelous deeds among us.  Lead them to look at the world and creation with eyes that are open to see God’s hand.  
4. Record your stories and thoughts for future generations to have as a testimony of God’s faithfulness in YOUR life.  Some have found that recording a VHS or DVD is a wonderful way to leave a legacy for future generations.  I also believe that a written Family Legacy Journal is a vital link for future generations to the past that cannot be overestimated in value.  Check out our resource center for a tool that be helpful in developing such a record for your family.  
5. Read Bible stories and other biblically sound books that will help teach God’s truths and present the Gospel.  Encourage them to read themselves if they are of age to do so.  Be alert to good books you can give them or read to them.  Check out our link to Lamplighter Publishing for some powerful, wonderful collections of rare old books that would make a valuable contribution to your grandchildren’s library.  
6. Speak blessing to your children and grandchildren.  The importance and power of the spoken blessing cannot be overemphasized.  The blessing communicates genuine acceptance, provides spiritual protection and conveys the freedom to succeed for the glory of God.  You can receive a free copy of The Power of Blessing for Grandparents at
7. Pray for them and with them.  Our bookends for these practical tools is prayer – praying for them, praying with others for them, and praying with them.  It is here that we will acknowledge our utter dependence upon God and engage His grace and divine power to work in us and our grandchildren to will and to act according to His good purpose.  (Phil.  2:13)

Remember… and remind.  That is our call.  May God bless you and keep you faithful in that task!