Memory

by Kenneth Frazier
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 16 No. 1, March 31, 1990

"Then spake the chief butler unto Pharoah, saying, I do remember my faults this day" (Genesis 41:9). The butler had a good memory. After two years, he could remember what had taken place in a jail where he and the chief baker had dreamed dreams and had had their dreams interpreted by Joseph. Memory, in this case, worked well for Joseph as it started him on his rise to favor in the eyes of Pharoah.

Not all of us have such good memories. That’s why man invented paper and pencil, ink and pen. And later the typewriter. And much later, the computer and word processor. All so we can put down on paper or on discs things that are worth remembering. I prefer paper because I have never learned to operate a computer, much less a word processor. Isn’t it great that the Lord was thoughtful enough to have the New Testament written down on something that could be preserved and referred to at will? When Peter wrote his epistles, he stressed the importance of memory. "Moreover I will endeavor that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance" (II Peter 1:5). In other words, Peter was writing down some things that we know but need to be reminded of.

They say that as you get older, senility can rearrange your memory cells so that you can easily recall things that took place 40 years ago but forget what happened yesterday. In my case, I have a difficult time remembering what happened 40 years ago. I wish I had started early in my preaching to get into the habit of a daily diary. To sit down at the end of the day and record the
highlights of the day. Names, places, times, and addresses that might seem unimportant at present, but forty years from now you would devoutly seek to recall.

My wife, Alice, has a much better memory than I. So I depend on her to recall the names and days of bygone years. She can even tell me Floyd's exact words when he first visited our home more than twenty-five years ago. But the Lord has also blessed us with a good forgetter. Some things are best forgotten.

After more than forty years of preaching and working with local churches, and a severe heart attack, together with prayer and the counsel of loved ones, we decided to move closer to our children. Now, I have time to reflect on those past years. But the problem is my memory. I neglected to write down the past forty years' names, places, dates, and incidents. I remember eating squirrel and dressing in a family's home in Tennessee, the first and last time I had ever eaten that. But I don’t remember who they were. I remember fording a small creek to get to a young couple’s home in the backwoods. He took us out, showed us how they killed hogs, and scalded them in a large vat of boiling water. But, sad to say, I don’t remember their names. I remember a member out at the Petway church who repeatedly kidded me about whether I had ever "tied the knot" for anyone. He was "uncle" something-or-other. But I don’t remember his name. There was a time when instead of money, we were paid with eggs, vegetables, etc. We ate at a nice country house with beautiful grounds in middle Tennessee. But I don’t remember their names. How sad! And the place where the congregation got up and filed past a hat that had been placed on the table in the front of the auditorium! They put in their contribution, and after the service, all that was in the hat was given to us. But I don’t remember much about who "they" were. How sad! I have said all this to make a point. Young preachers begin to develop the habit of a daily diary early. Write it down. Do it now. In coming years, you will appreciate it more than you know.