As I rounded an aisle in the supermarket I came face to face with an entire
family. Upon seeing me Mom broke into a huge smile and called me by name.
She turned to her family and said, “This is Professor Bothwell.” Her
husband stuck out his hand and said, “I am so delighted to finally meet you.
Emily talked about you every night after class.” They went on and on with
very effusive compliments. The problem was I had absolutely no recollection
of ever seeing her. It wasn’t that I didn’t remember her name. I didn’t
remember her! I was so delighted that her husband said her name. That
helped.
I could make excuses and say, “Well, women change the color of their hair
and start wearing contacts and can lose a lot of weight, thus drastically
changing their appearance.” But that would be a miserable excuse for a
major lapse in memory. How grand it is that God never forgets who we are.
We can make major changes in our outside but it matters not. He knows us on
the inside. He knows our very being and if there are changes to be made He
is the one who wants to make them with us as partners.
Jesus did say that God also knows the outside to the degree of knowing how
many hairs we have. But the outside isn’t that important to Him because the
day nears when “this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal
must put on immortality.” I Corin. 15. Go about your duties today and
sleep well tonight. You are safely in His excellent memory.
Written by Roger Bothwell on September 15, 2008
Spring of Life, St. Helena, CA 94574