Day 19: Repeat. Remember. Learn.

Ever learned something well only to turn around to have to learn it again? 

Me too. 

I can't tell you the number of times the Lord has reminded me, put words in front of me or had others tell me this message:

Do not {worry: to torment with cares, anxieties, etc.; trouble;plague.}

It was a crisp fall day. I was sitting in a borrowed vehicle in a city that was not my home. I had been a traveler, alone on the road for 2 months for work. It was a beautiful, crisp fall day. Yet all I felt was a terrifying sensation that it was only me, alone with my frenzied thoughts. I was worrying about my future again. Tears warmed my eyes. I parked in an Albertsons parking lot and tried to read my bible for comfort, but couldn't get my fretful mind to comprehend the words on the pages. 

My eyes caught something- up above, high above the city was a very very large group of birds flying. Their pace was unencumbered and smoothly peaceful. The Lord spoke the language of my heart that I did not know how to read.

 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

Matt. 6:26-27

It was then that I stared in wonder, both mouthing this promise and repenting of my unbelief. I marked this truth in my bible and walked to my next appointment, the weight a lot less burdensome on my shoulders. 

Fast forward a few days. Wandering thoughts, trying circumstance, hard conversation, and here I go doing what I know I don't need to do: worry. Fret, fret, fret, worry, worry, worry. I frantically flipped through Scripture to find some aid. A well-worn, dog-eared page quickly flipped open. Then I remembered the birds. The promise. How could I forget such a powerful experience so quickly? 

The truth is, we all have a knack for forgetting. The human nature does not recall things, especially valuable things, with ease. Fortunately for us we have a God who knows this about us. And He has mercy on us.

During the wandering times in the desert, God commanded His people to build an altar to worship or to set up stones of remembrance (Ebenezers) to commemorate a time when their God saved them. In most cases, those Ebenezers still stand today. Write it down, set up a memorial, repeat, repeat, repeat, remember. 

The phrase "Do not fear" is written in the Bible 365 times. For every day of the year the Lord provided a command not to give in to that carnal habit of fear. He did not leave room for ambiguity. He was clear about His expectations for us. He was 365 times clear. His caring heart for us knew that unless He steadily beat this truth into our minds, it would be forgotten. He did not casually suggest, He commanded with authority because He knew the destruction of fear. He knew that fear was the opposite of faith. He knew that little sheep like me would be ineffective if fear was in the driver's seat. Repeat, repeat, repeat, remember. 

So I keep learning. Sometimes I still forget. Aren't you so thankful for the Creator who patiently holds our hand, speaking once again those well-worn words that call us into freedom?