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amusing, ancestors, Bible, blessing, children, Christian, coffee, devotional, encouragement, faith, fear, forget, God, inspiration, jeep, miracles, parenting, Psalm 106, Raising The Mug, remember
Long ago, before any of my kids had cell phones or a driver’s license, I used to drive a white Jeep Cherokee with a nice little luggage rack on top. I got a lot of mileage from that vehicle.
One day, I was at the store buying a wheel barrow, when I got a phone call from my wife asking me to hurry home. There had been an emergency ……… great. The particular wheel barrow I purchased had a large plastic body with an inflatable wheel and two long wooden handles. It came pre-assembled, so when I tried to load it in the Jeep, it was too large to fit. No problem, I had a luggage rack. I threw it on top of the Jeep, flipped it over, and strapped it down good and tight. Then I rushed home.
The emergency was sort of odd. One of my daughters was riding in a car with a friend. The other girl’s mother was driving when a bee came in through the window and stung her. She managed to pull the car off the road, but then she passed out. The two girls ran to a nearby house to call my wife who in turn called me.
I was a little panicked. I didn’t know where the girls were and I wasn’t sure how to help. All sorts of scenarios were racing through my head on the drive home. My mind was so preoccupied with their safety, that when I arrived, I pulled down the driveway and straight into the garage, hardly slowing down at all. I heard a loud crunching sound and the Jeep strained to move forward. “What was that?” I thought…… But did I stop? Heck no…… I just kept right on pressing the gas. Suddenly I felt something bump my head. Then I remembered ……..the wheel barrow!! I hopped out of the car to see the wheel barrow jammed beneath the header of the garage and the crushed roof of my Jeep. The really amazing part of this story? No damage to the wheel barrow whatsoever……
To forget can be a blessing. It can also be a curse. Psalm 106 recounts the history of the Israelites. The particular sin that is mentioned several times throughout the chapter is that the people forgot God:
6 We have sinned, even as our ancestors did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly. 7 When our ancestors were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses,
21 They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt,
It’s hard to believe that with so many awesome miracles that they could forget God.
― Gabriel García Marquez
I raise the mug today to remind us all – Don’t forget! Never forget all the good things that the Lord has done for us!
PS – when the girls returned to the car, the woman had recovered and all was well.