amnesia...

what was i talking about?...um...i forgot.  what was it You told me last week, God?  um...i forgot.  what was the work You did in me last season?  geez...i can't remember...i think i suffer from amnesia.

kinda funny right...but true. true of me. and true of you. we suffer from amnesia...a special brand of amnesia called 'christian amnesia'. it's this thing where we are constantly doubting the goodness and reality of God's presence in our lives because we so easily forget the moments that are so real and tend to dwell in the moments that seem dry and lifeless.  but here's one point to remember, the moments that seem so real are actually the one's that are, indeed, real...because the truth is (and we understand this as Christians) that we only begin to experience real life when we experience God.  when He unveils our eyes. when He shows us His truth. the Truth. so when the times of dryness, and lifelessness do come...and life seems somehow less than it was when we were experiencing Him...well, this is actually, in a very powerful way, proof that He does exist.  the lessness of that season shows us how unreal our life is without Him...and in converse to this, how real and more our life is with Him.

now don't misunderstand me...i'm not saying that there are times we aren't with God.  but there are times when we are walking in a dimished 'experience' of His presence.  and when those times persist, we begin to doubt if, just maybe, all this God stuff is really real at all...did we just imagine it before?  did i make it all up? was i tricked or something?

i think the truth is...these 'dry' times are often the times where our faith is refined...stretched...and grown. it's where the roots go deeper. but.......too often these are the times when we forget.  the times when our amnesia strikes the hardest.  the times when we so easily cease to recall and treasure all that God has done in us, and for us, and spoken to our hearts in seasons past.

right?  c'mon...be honest...how quickly do we forget!!

true story...sometimes i forget within hours...minutes!  so...what's the solution?  not really sure...but recognizing the problem with our hearts is probably the first step...  how easily do our hearts go astray?! - so easy!!

but, to think of some practical things...well, here are my suggestions of some things that help me to recall and remember...my tactics for fighting amnesia!!

1 - write.  writing down what God speaks to me, or what i experience in different seasons in my life has been one of the most fruitful habits i've developed.  this has helped me immensely with my walk.  and when i forget...i just go back and read it again and then, 'ahah...that's right!...that moment was real.' or something like that...you get the point.

2 - pray. pray like your life depended on it...because it does.  talk to God every chance you get.  let me tell you about me...sometimes i get down, frustrated with things, impatient...and instead of going to God, sometimes i waste away in front of the tv watching movies or old episodes of friends while eating oreos and pizza....maybe that sounds like a nice lil' sunday to you. and sometimes it is for me too, don't get me wrong...but when you've experienced the awesome greatness of God's presence, there is nothing, nothing in the world, that compares.  and it is this Thing that i want.  (see psalm 27.4)  so to continue the story...i spent like a whole afternoon on the couch feeling pretty bummed...feeling how unreal God was and feeling down...and finally after pretty much a whole day of this, i went outside, sat on my porch and prayed...and after about five minutes of feeling God light up my heart i sat back and said out loud, 'the five minutes i spent with You was far better than all the hours i spent watching tv.'  do you get that? five minutes with God is worth far more than hours of watching tv....truly truly truly, 'one day in His court is worth more than thousand elsewhere.'  so to wrap that up...pray often.

3 - talk. talk to other Christians about God. talk to them about what God is doing in their lives and don't forget to listen too. i couldn't begin to tell you how many times a good conversation has stirred up my faith and dispelled any oncoming bout of amnesia.

4 - step out.  step out in faith and do something scary.  even when you're not feeling it.  even when God feels distant and you're wondering if the whole Thing ever was real. step out in faith and try something that you know only God could do.  share your faith. pray with someone. give. serve. just step out and try something where you need God to meet you...my experience is that He will.

so those are just a few things...and may seem like pretty ordinary things that every Christian should already know...but maybe you just...forgot?  ehem...so let them just be a reminder.