My Assignment:
Reflection Journal
Respond to this week’s content as it relates to your life, your faith, and your ministry. To guide your writing, you can respond to the following questions:
1. Describe a time you forgot something important that negatively impacted your life, your faith, and/or your ministry.
2. How can you use the memory strategies to avoid something like this in the future?
Submit your Week 6 Reflection Journal. Due in Moodle by Sunday, 11pm (EST).
My Response:
Respond to this week’s content as it relates to your life, your faith, and your ministry. To guide your writing, you can respond to the following questions:
1. Describe a time you forgot something important that negatively impacted your life, your faith, and/or your ministry.
2. How can you use the memory strategies to avoid something like this in the future?
Submit your Week 6 Reflection Journal. Due in Moodle by Sunday, 11pm (EST).
In general, forgetting negatively impacts my life. In fact, the only time I can think of, that it has been a good thing that I forgot something, was when I accidentally watched part of a movie that I wasn’t supposed too. I was totally naive to the thought that my friend might start a movie which was rated R after I told her that I couldn’t watch those movies. By the time I figured out what was going on, I had already seen some pretty graphic stuff. I tried very hard, and prayed very hard, to not remember those scenes and, thank God, I have now forgotten them completely. There may have been other times when forgetting something was beneficial..... but I can’t remember any ;)
For some reason, the most memorable moments of forgetting, for me, all happened in the kitchen. I guess because food is so important to all of us and because my Dad is sort of a pyrophobic (one who is afraid of fire.) For instance: the time when I forgot to grab a pot-holder before I grabbed the pot; the time I forgot I was making mac-and-cheese and all my water boiled away; the many times I have forgotten to turn off the oven when I am done using it; the time I forgot that it was my turn to make dinner - probably the most memorable.
I have also, like most people, experienced the classic cases of forgetting the answers to tests. I think I’ve even forgotten that I had a test once. My brain is often so busy, or so lazy, that I forget many things every day. Today I forgot to double-check what I put in the copier and made 30 copies of something that I didn’t need. Today a child on my team told me that they hadn’t put the vacuum cleaner away but I was so busy that I forgot about it and it is still sitting in the principal’s office.
So certainly I experience multiple set-backs in life because of forgetting. It’s the times when my forgetting hurts someone else that are really regrettable. These range from forgetting someone’s birthday to forgetting to fulfill a promise I made to forgetting to control my temper. Forgetting to put myself under the Spirit’s control certainly hurts my ministry. Every time someone sees me lose my temper or speak roughly to my sister is a time when they can ask, “So, why do I need Jesus?”
There are also those times when forgetting weakens my faith. There are some lessons I seem to need to learn over and over again: how to be thankful; how to wait patiently on God; how to seek His will. I must constantly remember what God has told me in order to have a positive outlook and to walk in harmony with His Spirit. When I don’t remember all the times that God has come through for me, I can’t trust Him. When I don’t remember how much He loves me, I can’t stand myself. When I don’t remember that He died for my class-mates just like He died for me, I can’t love them.
It was helpful to read the memory strategies. It shows that getting enough rest is important. It also reminds me to take time to process information, to slow down. I’ll only get in my brain what I put time into studying. It also proved that it is okay if I talk to myself once in a while. :)
The fact that God is the only one who never forgets is pretty awesome though. (Unless He does it on purpose: He has completely forgotten our sins.) He never forgets to provide for us. He never forgets what we’ve asked Him for, even if it seems like He has sometimes, and He never forgets to listen to us, and to bend down and help with our problems when we need Him.
