Never Forget

Never Forget

My child, never forget the things I have taught you.

Proverbs 3:1

No doubt you’ve heard this popular quote from philosopher George Santayana before: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” At one time the Anabaptist history was nearly lost, but one man changed all that.

In the late sixteenth century the Dutch government took a tolerant stance toward Anabaptists. Socially accepted Mennonites gradually moved into mainstream culture and eventually became economically prosperous. By the mid-1600s they had achieved a “golden age” and filled the ranks of wealthy merchants, physicians, artists, and artisans.

Dutch Mennonite minister Thieleman Jansz van Braght feared his people were acculturating. . . . He began collecting stories of Anabaptist martyrs from court records and other books. In 1660 he published them in a 1,478-page tome entitled The Bloody Theater, or Martyrs Mirror. . . . Today the Martyrs Mirror is found in Amish homes, and references to it are common in Amish circles.

Have you become forgetful about what God has done? It’s easy to do that. We become lulled by ease. Yet it’s important to remember both times of pain and times of blessing. When we see God’s faithfulness to his people in history, we will be more likely to trust Him in the present.

“Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits,” we read in Psalm 103:2 (NIV). Quiet your heart for a moment, and consider some of the pains and the joys of your past. Then take a few minutes to write out some of those moments. Consider coming back to them over the coming weeks and months and adding more detail. You might want to share them with a family member or a friend. When we take time to remember God’s goodness, our faith will grow. Who knows, our story may be one that people will remember even after we’re gone.

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for all Your benefits. My history is Your history—my soul knows that. Help me to study the past so I can share the stories of Your faithfulness in all life’s situations.