During my friend, Tina’s birthday party, one of the gifts she recieved was a plate with a portion of scripture on it. My friend, Rhonda, asked if anyone knew the rest of the verse. Several of us chimed in and finished out the rest of the words. Somehow the conversation got around to waaaaaay back when we were in GA’s. For those of you that are not of the Southern Baptist persuasion, GA’s stood for Girl’s Auxillary…later to become Girls in Action. This was a girl’s missions group that met every week. We would learn about missionaries and their work all over the world. At one point way, way back…you could achieve different levels in the group depending on the steps you completed. There was a watchword and several different verses that we repeated every week. That, for me, was at least 45 years ago. 45!!! But, when Rhonda said, “Can you remember the rest of this one?”….I could. And, I have not thought of that verse in …well…45 years! “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6. Those words just poured out of my mouth. And, we went on and repeated the Aim and the Watchword, and the other things we had learned so many years ago. And for the most part…both of us remembered almost all the words. Our pastor and his wife were at the party and they had brought their 2 children…grade school age. Our friend Ron, who teaches children in our church, looked at them and said, “See, you’ll remember the things you are learning now, just like that, when you are old!”

Well, I don’t know about the ‘old’ part…but, I’m here to say this: the things you learn and forget you ever knew, are still locked away in there. There is no telling what will cause you to bring it to the forefront of your memory…but, if you need it … it will be there. I am so happy to know that I still remembered those verses. And, it causes me to think of all the verses my children have memorized over the years. Those things will be with them forever, too.

Parents, be sure the things you put into your children’s memory bank are worthy of recalling 40 or 50 years later. Let them be sweet memories…stories of Jesus…words that will heal and help…verses to remind them of early days spent learning of Him.