He quoted Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel prize winning psychologist for work done on behavioral economics. While that research won him a huge prize, it's actually another part of his work that Dave was more interested in -- his work on our remembering and experiencing selves, and how they don't have the same view on life.
Our experiencing self has very short term memory. Kahneman says we operate on 3 second memory bites in our experiencing self. So we lose a lot of details that happen every day. And then our remembering self only remembers what is most important out of those memories, creating a storyline out of those experiences.
Teaching from the passage in chapter 8 of Deuteronomy, Dave said how we remember will impact our future, and whether or not we'll remember GOD when we get there. It is important to remember HIS story line every step of the way.
This is actually one of the reasons that I blog! I know it's important to remember, and see things through God's eyes all the way along the storyline.
Things like the kids discovering hats that I found this week in a box when I was cleaning, could be an insignificant memory.
But in the moment, there was such joy on their faces as they tried them on, asked me why I had them, and what they were for! In that moment, they were connecting dots and wiring their brains, an important task at this point in their young lives that God is working on.
When Charlie gave me flowers for Mother's Day, God was wiring his brain for the importance of celebration, something near and dear to God's heart.
Holding Jenna in the kitchen for the 257th time (give or take!) could be insignificant for this 3 second moment. But I don't want it to be! I want to remember that God gave us these extraordinary days with her and her family, during a pandemic.
I could never remember how many books we've read to the kids on various days that they've been over here at our house. But in this moment, when it was Papa's turn, I wanted to remember how much they love it when we stop for these moments.
Tyler and Lara, along with their boys, camped here last night. Today, the "big boys" are out here with their dad, spending a few hours talking about the things of life. That doesn't happen every day! I want to remember this, and how good God is to give us sweet relationships with our adult kids.
Claire surprised us girls with fancy coffee drinks this afternoon, which we enjoyed out on our patio.
And today is the first day I experienced "talking" with Jenna while we sat our there! She was just full of conversation with me, and I want to remember that! In the future when she and I talk, I want to remember that GOD started it right here!
And remember our half hour alone out on the swing later on, as I prayed over her, talked with her, and just enjoyed the beauty of a moment with my granddaughter.
The kids celebrated Mother's Day for me today, giving me beautiful gifts of words to match photos they'd chosen as special memories. I'll never forget that...now that I'm writing about it!
See, you'd think that such a special moment would forever be locked in my mind. But chances are, I wouldn't remember it unless I stopped and acknowledged God's storyline in it.
Of course not everything needs to be remembered. But I do have a special place in my heart for this particular truth of God's word about remembering what HE wants me to remember, so have made it a point to be a good "rememberer", as best as I can. Not just so that I have good memories...but so that I remember GOD in those memories!
Today was one of those days where there were so many glimpses of God. Truthfully, probably EVERY day there are millions of glimpses of him! Sometimes we just don't stop to notice and record them.
So today is another day I stop to notice!
And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. Deuteronomy 8:2
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