25 May Don’t Forget to Remember

Monday is Memorial Day, a National Day of Remembrance here in the U.S. I love that we take a day to honor and remember…after all, the Bible tells us often how easily we forget the most important things. Scripture is full of calls for remembering, building altars of remembrance, and so on.

I need these reminders because sometimes, I forget to remember who I am. And that’s a big problem.

Because the who that I am is my identity; and my identity is determined by Whose I am—first and foremost, a child of God. And when I forget to remember who I am, I act like who I’m not: an ordinary child of the world, rather than a daughter of the King.

Most of us would define ourselves by what we do rather than who we are: a wife, a mother, a teacher, a doctor, a professional athlete, an actor… But that’s not who we are; that’s simply what we do. And lest we forget—who we are is more important than what we do.

I don’t often forget to remember what I do because I do it every day. But who I am— my identity—is something I can tend to forget, especially when my body is weak, tired, or hungry, my mind is preoccupied with the wrong things, my emotions are agitated, and/or I’m just selfish. When I forget my identity, I default to behaving like an ordinary citizen of this world; and that behavior, while it might not necessarily be bad behavior, doesn’t do anything to showcase God and make Him famous through my life. Isaiah says, “O, LORD…Your name and fame…Your renown, are the desire of our soul” (Isaiah 26:8).

❤️ Something to Think About

Even when my behavior doesn’t fit with who I am, that doesn’t mean it changes Whose I am. And therein lies the sobering reality that when I blow it, I still belong to God. I will always belong to God, who has said, “I have called you by name; you are Mine” (Isaiah 43:1); “You are not your own; you were bought at a price…” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Indeed! An enormous price of enormous love that saved my life!

So, don’t forget to remember: Who you are is more important than what you do. Because who you are will determine what you do…and how you do it.

“Golf is just something that I do, it’s not my life”

Scottie Scheffler won his second Masters Golf Championship last month. Afterwards, when the Dallas native was asked, “What defines you?” he replied, “I believe in one Creator. I believe in Jesus. Ultimately, I think that’s what defines me the most. I feel like I’ve been given a platform to compete and show my talent…but I was called here to glorify God. That’s what defines me. And at the end of the day—win or lose—that’s my identity. So, for me, my identity isn’t a golf score.”

The world recently saw his identify put to the test. Scottie played golf last week because that’s what he does. He also got arrested last week, but he didn’t forget who he was.

A reporter asked Scottie about the details of his arrest and the chaos that ensued. He asked, “Did you ever say to someone this morning, “I’m Scottie Scheffler!”?

Scottie answered, “…no, at no point did I try to name drop myself to defuse the situation. I just tried to remain as calm as possible and just follow instructions.”

“I didn’t name drop myself to defuse the situation…”

Wow. He sure could have. He could have said, “You know who I am, right? I’m Scottie Scheffler, the #1 golfer in the world…” But he didn’t. He didn’t try to play the fame card, or use his standing in the golf world, his reputation, or his prominence. He didn’t throw a fit or resist arrest; he just let the police lead him away in handcuffs and then followed their instructions. That’s not just impressive or admirable—it’s supernatural. It shows the kind of humility and character we’d expect from a person who knows who they are. Someone like Scottie Scheffler who knows their identity is in Christ—and not in what they do. He didn’t forget to remember who he is and Whose he is: First and foremost a follower of Jesus Christ, a child of God, who’s been given a gift to use for the glory of God.

Are you a child of God? If so, then every day is Memorial Day—a day to remember who you are, Whose you are, and what that means: That God has placed the mark of His love on you; the seal of His Spirit within you. He chose you and has redeemed you, forgiven you, adopted you…blessed you with gifts to be used for His great glory.

One More Thing

What defines you? Who or what have you based your identity in?

Work is a good thing; we were created to work. But when we stake our identity on what we do, we’re planting on shaky ground. Our careers can fail us, we can become outnumbered, obsolete, too old to compete, too slow to keep up; or our kids grow up and leave…and on and on. BUT GOD! God will never leave us or forsake us… and as far as He has promised us, when we plant ourselves in Him, we will still be productive and fruitful, flourishing, and satisfied… even in old age! (Psalm 92:14-15).

I’m not a golfer, but I do follow the sport and I’ve been most struck by the character of Scottie Scheffler—especially after the incident last week. When I heard the news my first thought was, this is a test. Since God allowed this situation, I wondered if getting arrested could possibly be a bigger platform for Scottie’s faith than another win on the golf course. What do you think?

Let me know if you found this helpful! Until next week, don’t forget that you are greatly and dearly loved by The King. And let’s live our beautiful, ordinary lives like it!

I love you!
xo – P❤️