“Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭107:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

2020 is almost over! Perhaps you are already beginning to look ahead and celebrate that this unusual,  difficult year is coming to a close. Whatever is coming in 2021, it’s got to be better than this, right? But what if looking ahead too fast caused you to miss something significant? In a year like 2020 it can be easy to lose track of what God has been doing in your life. But, even in 2020, God is writing your story...and it is an amazing one! Think about it: What is your story? Where were you this time a year ago? 5 years ago? Ten years ago? 

One of the traps people have always fallen into is forgetting where they have come from. Read the Old Testament and you'll see it over and over again.  When God's people were going through hard times they forgot what God had already done for them and missed the chance to celebrate it. When they were wandering in the desert they forgot that when they were slaves, God sent Moses to deliver them. When they were facing famine, they forgot that they while they were wandering in the wilderness because of their unbelief, God miraculously provided for them. When an enemy was preparing to attack, they forgot how He split the Red Sea and drowned Pharaoh’s army, or opened a path through the Jordan River, or sent food they didn't have to grow or hunt for in manna and quail. It goes on and on. 

The Scriptures bear witness that God's people continually, even habitually, forget what God has done for them in the past. They complain about their present, and don't expect God to fulfill His promise for the future. As much as we hate to admit it, you and I are just as prone to such forgetting. It's not pretty. And, although we hate to admit it about ourselves, we most certainly will recognize it in our spouse or the person who sits on the other side of the church. But take a hard look at yourself and allow the Holy Spirit to convict your own pattern of repeated-history-forgetfulness. Once you've admitted it, you are in a perfect place to truly cultivate gratefulness. The end of 2020 is a great time for remembering where we came from,  because remembering what God has already done in our lives will always spark thanks. Without exception. 

The psalmists understood this. That's why a good number of the psalms are testimony psalms. So many of the psalms look at current distress through the lens of past deliverance. The writer builds future faith through remembering God's past faithfulness. There are even psalms designed to collectively remind God's people of what He has done for them, how He led them out of slavery and through the Red Sea, defeating Pharaoh through plagues and a miraculous opening and closing of water. The psalmists understood their own tendency to forget as they observed the forgetfulness of all their ancestors. 

God isn't put off by our tendency to forget Him. That's why He has built into our experience the ordinances of water baptism and celebration of communion, or the Eucharist, which by the way, comes from a Greek word that means "thanksgiving." The whole purpose of communion is to remind us of what Christ did on the cross so that we will be inspired to give thanks. The purpose of communion is to cultivate gratefulness. 

So, in this season of anxiously looking ahead, don’t you think it might be a good time to look back and think about what God has done in your life, not just this year, but all though it? I guarantee that it is more than  you think. 

So, take some time now to think back and remember your own story. What is your story? What has God done for you?

What's my story? God rescued me from myself. From feeling like I had to be good, even perfect, in order to be acceptable and loved, not just by God, but by anyone. When I surrendered my life to Christ I began to discover satisfaction and fulfillment beyond all that I could imagine. It's been a continuing journey of leaving behind comfort and control to embrace an expanding experience of joy and strength through stretching.  In 2020, I have learned to rest in now, to let go of all the things I can’t control and accept the joy in this moment. I’ve learned not to focus on the things that are not, but to celebrate the things that are. Despite all that I have missed this year, like seeing my kids for Thanksgiving or Christmas, I am so aware of the fact that God has been near. I have been aware of Him walking through this with me, carrying me forward and encouraging me to keep an eternal perspective. In the timeline of history, 2020 is just a dot on the line. The future....well, Jesus wins it all! I can celebrate that! How about you?

Even in 2020, life with Jesus continues to be about consistently saying YES. Every YES along the way has been a doorway to a new understanding of God and a deeper knowledge of my true self, the me God designed me to be. Even as I write this I am overwhelmed with thanks. He has brought me so far and I know there is still farther to go. I guess that's the greatest benefit of cultivating gratefulness through remembering your story. When you realize just how far God has brought you, it encourages you to keep saying YES and to continue the adventure. 

So, my friend, here at the end of 2020, what's your story? What has God done for you this year? What has He done for you throughout your whole life? Let remembering your past inspire you to reach for more than the end of 2020. Reach toward God's future for you because your story is far from over. Even as 2020 comes to an end, God is continuing to write your story...and it is an amazing one!

Key thought: Remembering my past inspires my future. 

A Scripture to consider:  “Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.” Psalms 107:8

A YES challenge: Take some time to reflect on your story. Start by looking back over 2020. Give thanks to God for how far He has brought you and commit to giving Him Your YES going forward. 

Prayer: Father, as I look back on all You have done for me I can't help but overflow with thanks. Even in this crazy year, I see how far You have brought me. I am not the same person I was and I know it wasn't through my own efforts.  It's a work of Your ever-present grace in my life. Even in 2020, Your grace really has been enough. I choose today to put my trust in Your future for me, because I remember how faithful You have been in my past. I give you my YES again because I know You will continue to do wonderful things in my life. Thank You for writing my story. Amen.