Psalm 46:1-3

So Forgettable…that’s What I Am

Sometimes I forget. I’ll walk into a room and forget why. I’ll pick up my laptop and forgot what I wanted to do. I forget. I forget a lot.

I don’t know why I forget so much. I wonder if distractions contribute to my forgetfulness. I know what I want to do when I start to do it, but then another thought enters and the previous thought fades away. Distractions cause me to focus on something new, forgetting what came before.

Life is full of distractions. Agendas, full schedules, more work than time to do it, news, family, and the list of stuff I try to keep in my head continues to grow. I become so distracted that I forget. My attention gets overtaken by distractions.

Usually my tendency to forget isn’t problematic. At some point I remember, scold myself for my forgetfulness, and move on. There is one area of forgetfulness that does have consequences however.

I forget that I’m not alone.

Invitation to Remember

Life gets hard and I believe I’m facing my trials, disappointments, and challenges by myself. When I believe that I’m alone, everything is up to me. I must face my fears, assess my abilities, and just do it.

The psalmist reminds me that I’m not alone. He tells me God is our refuge and strength. I forget that I serve an awesome and amazing God. I forget that he is with me. I forget a lot.

The Psalmist invites me to remember. There’s no reason to be afraid; of the earth changing, of the mountains shaking or the waters roaring.

Refuge and Strength

My refuge and my strength isn’t in what I can do. God is with me. He has not left me to my limited resources. I can rest in his presence.

The psalmist message to Jerusalem, the city of God, is that God is in the midst of the city. Nations might war and kingdoms totter, but when God speaks the earth melts. God is with them, God is their refuge.

I am invited to see the works of God and be still.

All is Well and All Will be Well

St John of the Cross and Julian of Norwich remember and invite me to remember.

St. John of the Cross wrote, “Well and good if all things change, Lord God, provided we are rooted in you.” John of the Cross didn’t forget. He knew that the storms could rage and the waters rise, but as long as God was the anchor of our soul.

Julian of Norwich wondered why “the onset of sin was not prevented.” In her thirteenth showing (revelation) Jesus answers her, “It was necessary that there should be sin; but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

As long as I’m rooted in the refuge and strength of my soul, all will be well. The psalmist invites me to remember, I am not alone. God is my help, my refuge, and my strength.