Four-year-old Cohen the Goodhearted was sitting on the floor, his face buried deep in his hands as he sobbed. Cohen is exceptionally talented at faking being upset and will probably win an Oscar for this talent, but this was not that. His little body heaved, and the sobbing grew deeper. His dad walked over and squatted down, asking him, “What’s wrong?”

Cohen tried to catch his breath through his tears and slobber. “I can’t remember!”

“What can’t you remember?”

More sobbing. “I CAN’T REMEMBER!”

Dad, still confused, asked again: “Cohen, what can’t you remember?”

“I LOST ALL MY MEMORY!” he cried. “I can’t remember anything!”

“Why do you think you lost your memory?”

“I can’t remember when I was born, and I can’t remember when my big brother was born,” he sobbed.

His dad finally put the puzzle pieces together. Cohen could remember his younger brother being born, but when it came to his and his older brother’s births, he drew a blank and thought he had lost his memory.

I wish I had been there that day; I would have sidled up beside him and started crying too. “Poppy, what’s the matter?” he might have asked.

“I can’t remember!”

“Can’t remember what, Poppy?”

“Just name it, and I can’t remember it.”

As I move into my senior adult years, I find myself trying to remember the three things your Grammy sent me to the grocery stores to pick up. I can’t remember where I laid my car keys. I can’t remember the gazillion passwords to my online accounts. I can’t remember my grandsons’ names. Many times, I have called them by a brother’s name. But wait a minute; I did that with my sons too. This memory loss must go a long way back.

I can’t remember where I put my glasses, and I spend 20 minutes looking for them before I discover I am wearing them. And I don’t remember my birth either! So I guess there are two Moore boys suffering from memory loss.

Cohen, I need to tell you that Grammy’s mind is as sharp as the day I married her. She has not forgotten anything in the 46 years we have been married. I won’t dwell on Grammy’s incredible recall because one of us will get in trouble. Cohen, my friend, I feel your pain.Memory is important. When we buy a phone or computer, we want to know how much memory it contains. Some of you might not know this, but the oldest computer can be traced back to Adam and eve. It was an apple with extremely limited memory: one byte and everything crashed.

God knew His children would have short memories; we see this from the very beginning. That is why the Bible instructs us not to forget.

As we begin a new year, let me suggest three things we need to remember:

1. Remember His Word: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Ps. 119:11). Start out this year by memorizing some new Scriptures. Repeat each verse, write it out and post it on your refrigerator. Share it with others until it is buried deep into your subconscious. Ask God to give you an opportunity to speak that Scripture into someone’s life. When you do, it will speak back to you.

2. Remember the good things God has done for you: “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago” (Ps. 77:11). If you ever come to my office, as we walk down the hallway, I will tell you story after story of the things God has done. Telling stories like this keeps the wonder of God’s supernatural direction, protection and provision on the top shelf of your heart. I also have pictures that I go through regularly to remind me of the things God has done and the people I have led to the Lord. Write down all the things God did for you in 2020 and praise His name, then share them with someone else. Post this list on your refrigerator too.

3. Remember the day of grace: “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11). Never forget the day He touched your life to make you one of His children. It was the day your sails caught the wind and your destiny was changed forever; it was the day His grace was imparted to your life. Write out your testimony of that day and post it on the refrigerator.

Why post these things on your refrigerator? They will serve as a physical reminder of God and His work in your life. Blessings on you and your family in 2021!