Kenneth Samuel: How Can I Forget?
"Then those who feared and loved the Lord spoke often of the Lord to each other. And the Lord had a Book of Remembrance drawn up in which were recorded the names of those who feared the Lord and loved to think about the Lord." - Malachi 3:16 (Living Bible)
It is said that people often forget what you say to them, but people never forget how you make them feel. Words are powerfully impactful, but only inasmuch as they convey our deepest convictions, sentiments and devotions. Words are often forgotten, but the feelings they convey last a lifetime.
Among those who openly disparaged God, derided God and denounced God, there was a group of people whose faithfulness remained steadfast. The believers in this faithful group spoke to each other often about their love for God and their hope in God-despite their disappointments and predicaments.
God overheard their conversations and was so overjoyed by the deep devotion of their dialogue that God compiled a Book of Remembrance. This book did not necessarily record everything the believers said, but it did record the names of every believer. This book embossed the lives of every believer into the joyful essence of the divine presence throughout eternity.
Most of us can't recall everything told to us by our loved ones, but their names alone ignite feelings of love and affection that will never be forgotten.
Blessed be the names of ...
Prayer
"May the life I've lived speak for me, May the life I've lived speak for me
When I'm resting in my grave, And there's nothing that can be said
May the life I've lived, speak for me." Amen.
(Sullivan Pugh, The Consolers)