In planning this series that we began last week, it hadn’t occurred to me that Memorial Day would be arriving just as we’re getting underway, but it turned out to be an unexpected blessing. It provides an opportunity to insert a brief comment or two regarding one of the most profoundly vital and important aspects of any educational undertaking; i.e., the role that “memory” plays in the learning process. And maybe it wasn’t coincidental that I had a fresh reminder of that recently during a meeting with an attractive young woman in a private setting for some up-close and personal interaction. 

An In-depth Exchange ~
Okay, I’m just messing with you a little, so before you start praying for God to convict me, let me be quick to point out that my wife was not only enthusiastically in favor of the session, she was involved in it as well. The ‘hostess’ was actually our primary care physician, who summons us to these little get-togethers each year for our annual physical and “wellness” review. It’s a time when we get poked, prodded, scrutinized from every vantage point imaginable, sometimes stuck with needles, and informed that nearly everything in life that I enjoy is probably going to kill me. She seems perfectly comfortable bringing up the most private kinds of things and asking questions about stuff nobody would normally be talking to anyone about. (I’m gonna assume you may have been there, done that, too 🤔.) But near the end of our exciting plunge into parts of my life that even Jesus doesn’t ask me about, she added one more thing . . .

She announced that our little rendezvous would not be complete without subjecting me to a ‘memory’ test. I told her I didn’t think it was necessary given the current evidence that I could be President without having to pass a test like that, but … she made me do it anyway. She proceeded to read a list of words that were random and disconnected enough to have been lifted from a campaign speech and then gave me some other things to do to distract me. After a few minutes, she opened her notebook and asked me to repeat those words back to her in the order she said them. “Wait a minute,” I said. “We’re not even married, and you’re asking me to remember a list? At least when my wife does that, she doesn’t keep score on me.” 

A Divine Priority ~
But seriously, we don’t need a medical professional to inform us that memories are important. God highlighted the importance of memory for all of us a long time ago when He warned His people repeatedly not to forget His instructions. The tone of Moses’ proclamations emphasizes how seriously God takes this issue:   

“Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, (Deuteronomy 8:1–2 NKJV)

“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.” (Deuteronomy 8:18–19 NKJV)

Unfortunately, God’s people did not heed His warning, and they suffered the consequences of their failure again and again. Israel’s history is a repetitious demonstration of a destructive process that God sought to protect them from. When vital information and formative events are forgotten, the protective lessons illustrated in them cease to be learned and applied, and the implications for the future can be devastating.  

Dire Implications to Consider ~
If memories fail, or for some reason, they’re purposely suppressed, facts can get confused, meanings can be misconstrued, motives can be distorted, events can be misrepresented, and outcomes can be ignored. Without safeguards and reasonable verification, words can be edited and reports can be rewritten entirely. The sobering reality is that those who hear the revised or alternative versions may not know that the account they’re being exposed to is a modified or totally fictional creation. That goes on every day in American academia and as Memorial Day approaches, we need to be asking ourselves as a nation, as individuals, and especially as followers of Jesus, just how much we’ve allowed our memories to be manipulated, distorted, or completely erased. 

Faulty memories lead to false beliefs – and false beliefs lead to foolish ideas, toxic relationships, and self-destructive behaviors. But maybe the problem with memories begins somewhere else. After all, our memory apparatus is a reactionary mechanism, and its responses are limited to the information and images that we’ve seen, heard, or experienced in some other way. Obviously, then, obeying God’s command to remember what He said pre-supposes that His words have been made known. That’s why God’s command to remember was accompanied by a command that His people shall continuously and purposefully teach their children:

And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:6–9) NKJV

Suggesting Another Memory Test ~
It’s pretty clear that as a nation, we’ve forgotten some things, but it’s also clear that the problem has nothing to do with our memory. To illustrate what I mean by that, let’s have our own little “wellness review” and memory test. Let’s see how many conditions we might be able to recall now that were once commonplace.  Can you remember when …

• • • Schools didn’t need a police force to maintain order?
    • The ‘F’ word was not just another adjective and foul or profane language was never tolerated from or around children and never included in public discourse or social settings?
    • Kindness and respect were the basic standard of behavior in both public and private settings everywhere?
    • Selflessness and humility were promoted and narcissistic arrogance was frowned upon?
    • The Bible was a recognized standard for determining whether actions, attitudes, and relationships were acceptable? 
    • Prayer was not only an approved practice in schools, locker rooms, and athletic fields, but one that was admired and encouraged?
    • Seeing our flag and hearing our national anthem evoked pride in almost everyone?
    • Pornographic material was restricted from anyone under the age of 18 and no one would have considered presenting it in elementary schools as “sex education”? 
    • You could watch a movie or TV series without having to check first to see how much foul language and graphic sexual material was included? 
    • A handkerchief and dinner napkin didn’t provide enough material for the garments girls and women wore in public? 

Our upcoming generations know nothing of conditions like most of those above, but it’s not because they fail to remember them. It’s because we stopped listening to God in our private lives, failed to teach His principles in our homes and schools, and allowed many of our churches to become entertainment centers and self-help groups instead of places where lost, broken, and hopeless people could find healing and new life. We made comfort, pleasure, money, and acquiring the next trendy device our primary pursuits instead of developing character traits like honesty, integrity, and dependability.

So as we celebrate Memorial Day and honor those who sacrificed so much to ensure our freedom, let’s also make a conscious effort to point out how the way they lived and the price they paid was also a demonstration of the values and principles God ordained for us to follow. Maybe we can use this day to teach what our schools have chosen to erase from their curriculum and from our collective memory. If all of us would endeavor to do that, America’s next “wellness review” might just look a whole lot better. 

~  HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY 2024  ~

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to tweet and share from the pull quotes below.  Each one links directly back to this article through Twitter . . .

• • Israel’s history – a repetitious demonstration of a destructive process that God sought to protect them from. When vital information and formative events are forgotten, the protective lessons illustrated in them cease to be learned and applied. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  

  • “If memories fail, or for some reason are purposely suppressed, facts can get confused, meanings can be misconstrued, motives can be distorted, events can be misrepresented – and outcomes can be ignored.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  

  • “Words can be edited and reports can be rewritten entirely. The sobering reality is that those who hear the revised or alternative versions may not know that the account they’re being exposed to is a modified or totally fictional creation.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 

  • “As Memorial Day approaches, we need to be asking ourselves as a nation, as individuals, and especially as followers of Jesus just how much we’ve allowed our memories to be manipulated, distorted, or erased completely.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)   

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