Remember You Are Loved.

I believe it was Father’s Day 2012 or 2013. The year doesn’t come back to me at the moment. The weather I couldn’t sense if my life depended on it. What we were all wearing—no clue. I couldn’t tell you whether any of us had short hair or long. I don’t remember the meal we ate.

I do remember the love I felt that day. I remember it almost as if it were yesterday as I sift through notes my wife and daughters gave me. I recall reading the handwritten notes and being overwhelmed.

Today, I held each one again, savoring the memory. It didn’t take much to know which family member had written which one. Here are a few more samples…

“I love the way you care for the yard. You make sure the yard looks like a ‘lawn’, with straight stripes!”

“I love your ‘square-ness’.”

“I love your ability to find the light of things and have fun with the family.”

“I love when you cook the family breakfast. It will always be a special treat.”

As I read the notes, many emotions hit me. The three I felt most were challenged, thankful, and loved. I’m challenged to be the husband and father the wonderful women in my life said I was. I am thankful to have had the opportunity God gave me to be in their lives and to have them in mine. And, well, so loved.

God wants you to remember things, too. He wants you to look back on what He has so faithfully done for you. He provided several examples of this in the Bible. One comes from Joshua 3 and 4 (NASB).

Chapter 3 tells of God directing Joshua and the priests to cross the overflowing banks of the Jordan River. I imagine the people wondered just how they might cross the dangerous waters. God instructed the priests to step into the Jordan. They did and the waters piled up so that the Israelites could cross.

The priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing.

Chapter 4 recounts God instructing Joshua to have twelve men, one from each tribe, to take up for themselves twelve stones from the middle of the dry Jordan to the place where they would lodge. In fact, God told them to retrieve the stones from the place where the priests’ feet were standing firm.

Why would God want them to collect rocks?

Verses 6 and 7 tell us.

“Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.”

Those stones, like the notes in my Father’s Day gift, were a reminder. For them, they were reminded of God’s provision. God told Joshua earlier that just as He had been with Moses, He would also be with Joshua. As the people looked on the stones, I believe they were also challenged and inspired. The memorial brought confidence to take the next steps.

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Above all, they knew God loved them, cared for them, and as a result, they could count on Him.

He wants the same for you. Just as He took care of His people thousands of years ago, He will take care of you today.

I placed the lid on my box of notes and situated the gift box back in its special place. May you keep records of God’s provision so you will be inspired and reminded of His past provisions and future care. And, above all, He loves you.

Do you have a way of documenting God’s love in your life?

Today’s feature photo comes from a “photo-a-day” challenge I pursued several years ago. The photo inspires the topic. For me, the posts challenge my creativity, writing discipline, and dependence on God for His message. My prayer is that you find hope in God’s Word, and that you’ll share your hope with others.