Making Memories: You Don't Have a Choice

This summer I was blessed to hang out with two young women who I mentored when they were young teen moms. Both of them are single moms still, but their lives show a lot of growth—both in their life situations and in their faith.

We chatted about our teen moms support meetings, about the discussions we had around the living room of the pregnancy care center, and about their kids as babies.

“I didn’t realize how important those moments were until much, much later,” Mari said.

Laura added, “The lessons of faith stuck with me and when I was at my lowest point the memories returned.”

That’s the thing about memories:

We don’t have a choice. Every day we can and do make them.
God can use them to change a heart … even years later.
We never know what little things will stick.

A few things to remember about making memories…

Today is a day your child can remember forever. If you scan through Pinterest or the gazillion blogs out there today you’d believe that making memories can’t happen unless it involves food, crafts, or fun. But memories aren’t made only during those special moments. They’re also made on ordinary days.

I’ve homeschooled for twenty years and I love chatting with my older kids about their experiences. Strangely enough, they don’t remember most of the activities I poured myself into—those salt clay fossils or the complex craft projects. Instead, they remember cuddling on the couch during story time. They remember the field trip to the grocery store (especially the freezer department)–the very field trip that I thought was lame. They remember walks in the woods behind our house and trips to the library—ordinary stuff.

Today is a day your children can remember forever.

Memories don’t have to be created or molded or designed. Simply enjoy each other, and the simple things in life, and those memories will take you far.

God has given us the gift of memory. He knows that our memories of our family and faith guides our children. Psalms 105:4-6 says:

Search for the Lord and for his strength;
continually seek him.
Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
you children of his servant Abraham,
you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.

So often we forget what God has done. Yet when we remember what God has, done we’ll be reminded to turn to Him in every part of our lives.

The only way our children will have a spiritual heritage to look back on is for us to make faith memories. This isn’t as hard as it sounds.

You can make faith memories through:

Church Attendance
Bible clubs
Awana
Vacation Bible School
Sunday School
Church Camps
Holiday traditions such as Bible reading
Family devotions
Singing praise songs or hymns in the car

These simple, weekly occurrences may seem like everyday life, but each one is caching away memories in a child’s mind and heart.

But does it work? Do these memories make a difference?

They do.

How do I know?

When I was a seventeen-year-old pregnant teenager I struggled with my faith. I questioned if God loved me. How did I finally decide he did? I remembered the stories my Sunday School teacher told. I remembered my grandmother’s prayers. I thought of simple Scripture verses I’d learned in vacation Bible School, and I turned back to God. I asked Jesus to be Lord of my life.

Those memories of faith brought me back to Jesus. The memories of faith brought those single moms to Him, too. Your children have to remember something from their childhood, and we get to be part of the choosing.

Do your part to instill faith memories into every day life, and they will never, ever leave your child. I’ve seen this—I know this—from experience.

Blessings,

Tricia