It is interesting how an insignificant sight or sound can trigger all kinds of memories. 

I don’t know if it happens to you but it happens to me all the time. 

It can happen for me as easily as someone mentioning a word, and that word triggers a song in my head. I may not have heard that song for years, but the memory of it, the tune and all the words come back fully loaded into my brain.

The hard part is then trying to get that song off the playlist in my head.

The other day I was alone at work when it started raining. It was not just raining, it was like the heavens opened up and water was let loose.

You could hear the rain loud on the roof, and it just kept getting louder. 

As I listened, I remembered an event back when I was a youth pastor, directing a junior high camp at which a lot of the kids from my church were attending.

That week the girls had been pulling all kinds of pranks on my guys. The strange thing was my guys had just been taking it all. No retaliation. 

So half way through the week my assistant and I stormed into the cabin where my students were staying. We yelled, “What’s wrong with you guys?” The boys replied, “We’re just trying to be good.” 

We shook our heads and said, “Well, don’t just take it from those girls; stand up for yourselves.” 

They looked at each other, gave me that mischievous look, and we knew our work was done. 

The next day at dinner time, the girls were all lined up, waiting outside the dining hall until the cooks let them in. They were in a line along the side of the building, talking and giggling.  

I was chatting with the girls when I looked up at the top of the roof of the dining hall. There, on the crest of the roof, were five or six of my guys with buckets of water. 

The cooks called me inside and insisted I get the boys off the roof. I told them the boys would be down in a minute. Then I went outside to see the show. 

As my guys poured their buckets out on the roof, I watched the silent flow of water quickly moving down the shingles … until the water got to the edge of the roof which, by the way, had no eavestrough. 

When the silent flow of water hit the edge it broke into a loud waterfall that came crashing down on the unsuspecting girls in line. 

Dinner was delayed that night because of a needed clothing change. 

The girls got it good.

… Isn’t that funny? That whole memory came back with just the sound of rain beating down on a roof. 

Here’s the thing: Little things can trigger a thought about God. It might be a view of the lake or the sound of thunder. When that thought comes to your mind, don’t dismiss it or refocus on what you were doing. Take a moment to let your memory recall when God stood out to you in that context. Replay that tape. It will remind you of the character of God, who He is and help you feel closer to Him.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What things trigger memories for you? Leave your comments and questions below.

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