Remembering Him

I don't know about you, but sometimes the new year is just a lot of pressure to come up with amazing, inspired resolutions that I'm not going to fail at.  Secret: it's December 31st and I don't even remember the goals I made 12 months ago.  I think forgetting is a very human problem that most of us suffer from.  How many of us have started a day by witnessing the most breathtaking sunrise in existence and think it's going to be the greatest day ever, but have lost that enthusiasm by 9 am because someone cut us off in traffic and we didn't have time for breakfast and a dozen other small inconveniences?  That sunrise is forgotten and lost.  Too often, January 1st is just like that sunrise.  We wake up on the first day of a new year absolutely determined to make it the best year ever!  But life happens and somewhere in the first couple months or weeks, we get get caught up in the small things and forget what goals and dreams we were working for.

I think forgetting is even more dangerous spiritually.  How often do we forget miracles and blessings from God?  How often do we tell ourselves, "OK.  This time I really am going to try harder to make Him a bigger part of my life!" and the next day we have forgotten that moment even happened?  The truth is that God is perfect and that includes a perfect ability to remember.

I love His promise in 1 Nephi 21:14-16 "But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me-but he will show that he hath not.  For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."  Jesus Christ keeps the scars in His hands and His feet to show us that He will never forget us.

This year, my only resolution is to remember.  To remember God's infinite love.  To remember His daily miracles. To remember the promises I have made to obey His commandments.  To remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. To remember to write things down on my to do list.  To remember to look at my to do list.  To remember to be kind to others and help when I can.  To remember to focus on the most important things in life.  To remember birthdays and really listen to what others are saying.  Mostly, I want to remember all the things He's taught me in 2013.  I invite you to write down the experiences and lessons from 2013 that you can't afford to forget.

I know that a miracle occurs when we remember to remember Him: life gets better, our days become brighter, we become more like Him, and it really can be the best year yet.