As I already noted I have begun to scan the entries I wrote a year ago. While this blog is not chronicling my life it is interesting to see what was on my mind a year ago, and what things were important enough for me to write about them. People who champion the notion of keeping a journal will tell you that the advantage is looking back at what you have done and reflecting on it and so you will not forget things. It is this aspect of not forgetting things that I want to think about some.
As I was reading a post I wrote last year I saw a new point I could have made. While I talked about things we often forget that in the moment is highly important to us, I was too focused on reevaluating importance to catch another aspect of truth to my general statement. I still find it true in my life that I forget things that are important. It’s not that I completely forget them, I forget enough of them to work it out of my daily practice and habits. I can learn something, make a mental note that the lesson is of importance, and a year or two later I will not be living my life according to the lesson. I can still be reminded of the lesson, I will not need it taught to me all over again. Thinking upon this I recall tidbits of random data about the Old Testament and some comments, notes, and/or impressions left upon me due to some class.
God gave the Jews a religious calendar to follow, filled with feasts and observances. As Christians we do not observe them, so we can forget their importance. Looking now at my life as I ponder my own past I can see one of the reasons God ordained their festivals: people forget important things. An annual event, such as the Passover can keep the lessons learned fresh(er) in the memory. Re-reading portions of the Bible will help us to keep certain principles active in our daily lives.
Now, if I can only remember how important this lesson is, and put it into practice.