My oldest daughter recently asked me about her first haircut.
I told her the whole story.
She had been almost three years old.
I was there.
She cried a little but was then okay.
“Oh wait, we even got a commemorative certificate!”
I went upstairs to my closet and found the card along with a little lock of her hair.
I was SHOCKED to realize I had gotten most of the information wrong!
I looked at the date— it was 3 days after my son was born, and suddenly I remembered telling my husband and my mom to take Quin to get a haircut while I was freshly postpartum with my second.
I had melded different memories together from all 3 of my kids, plus I think I embellished a bit? I don’t even know.
Our memories are generally pretty bad.
I mean, my daughter is 8, and this was a pretty big milestone of getting her first haircut, and I had gotten out totally wrong.
Until…
I brought out that physical memento.
That physical certificate reminded me of what ACTUALLY happened.
I think of the Israelites who had to cross the River Jordan, completely on dry ground.
What a miracle!
How could they EVER forget that?!
And yet the Lord told them to take some stones from the river bed:
“These stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.” (Joshua 4:7)
The stones and memorial helped them to remember.
A tangible object for a very real but very fleeting spiritual experience.
The Lord knows we are prone to wander. Prone to forget miracles. Prone to downplay covenants. Prone to misremember spiritual promptings.
How have physical objects helped you to remember spiritual experiences?
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
