Reminders were a daily part of the lives of the Children of Israel. In reference to His laws, God says: “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deut. 6:6-10 NIV)
The Israelites were to also do certain things with their clothing and their hair to help them remember they were a people set apart and special to God: “Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel.” (Num. 15:38 NIV); and “Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.” (Leviticus 19:27 NIV)
With so much Biblical emphasis on reminders, doesn’t it stand to reason that we, also, need reminders in our day and age? Reminders of God’s love? Of His laws? Of His ways? Yet I don’t know about you, but these kinds of reminders are few and far between in my life…
Until now that is…
I now have a mug with a broken handle that I not only refuse to throw away or repair, but that I plan to keep forever.
Why?
It is to be a reminder to me…
I’m pretty ashamed to tell this story; but transparency and confession are good for the soul. Besides, maybe there is someone else out there who is even half as silly as I have been who will be blessed by my tale… So here goes:
I struggle with pride, low self-esteem and entitlement. As a result, special days, if forgotten by even one, leave me devastated.
And so it was last Mother’s Day. I woke up to a real mess made by my dog and the fact that my husband had stepped in it and tracked it everywhere. Happy Mother’s Day! None of my kids sent a card or flowers or a gift, and my husband (who, in his defense, has Alzheimer’s and truly doesn’t have a concept of one day being special over another!) never even acknowledged that it was Mother’s Day. To top it off, my own mom, who I always celebrated Mother’s Day with, has gone to be with the Lord. I was feeling so low that very late in the day, when all of my kids tried to call me, I refused to take the calls. Pretty silly, isn’t it?
When Father’s Day rolled around, I wanted my husband to feel special, and I got him a mug that said, “World’s Best Dad”. And, because I was still smarting from the lack of attention on Mother’s Day, I bought one for myself as well, one that said, “Fur Mama”.
This particular mug became one of my favorites. Unfortunately, though I didn’t see it at the time, it was a perpetual reminder to me that my family “didn’t care enough about me to get me a Mother’s Day card or gift”…
Over the months since Mother’s Day, God has been speaking to me in themes, mostly centered around the fact that God is ALL I need. I don’t need a person or a thing, only God. He had also been encouraging me to live a day at a time and to seek the joy that is in each day, instead of focussing on the pain. Nonetheless, when my precious mug slipped out of my hand and clattered to the floor, all of the pain of being “forgotten” on Mother’s Day washed back over me like a flood; and I’m ashamed to admit that I cried.
Interestingly, it was only the handle that shattered. The rest of the mug was still intact…
My son wanted to get some super glue and repair the handle. I refused. I wanted to throw the whole thing away, but God said, “Don’t”. I pushed it into the corner and out of sight instead.
Throughout the next couple of hours, however, God never ceased to remind me of my recent lessons. I didn’t need a mug, or even a card or acknowledgement of any kind from my kids. I need God! And even though the mug was broken, God had still blessed me that day! And He had blessed me on Mother’s Day as well! I was just too wound up in my self-pity to see it! As He worked these ideas into my spirit, I began to see His love pouring out to me from all sides, every day of my life. I don’t need that mug! I need God!
The next day when I found the broken mug in the corner, I realized then that I no longer needed it. I was blessed beyond imagination and happy without it. I started to throw it away, but again God said, “Don’t”!
And so I continue to use the mug. Not as a reminder of what Mother’s Day should have been, but as a reminder that God is ALL I NEED, and no matter how dark the times, I need to focus on His blessings in the moment!
What reminders do you have of what God is trying to work into your life? If you don’t have any, perhaps it would be a good idea to get some! Ask God to show you what would be a good reminder. Maybe it will be a song. Or a thought-for-the-day that you post on the wall. Or maybe, just maybe, it will be a broken mug!
Whatever it is, don’t ever forget!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
