Remember

The Israelites were still slaves in Egypt when God explained how He wanted them to commemorate their deliverance. “Ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever,” He said. “When your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?… Ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt” (Exodus 12:24, 26-27). That night, the tenth plague arrived, and Pharaoh set them free (Exodus 12:29-32). God wanted them not only to be delivered but to remember their deliverance and to pass that memory on to their children, so He taught them how to celebrate the event before it happened.

As Jesus and His disciples celebrated Passover, He taught them how to remember the sacrifice He was about to make and the deliverance He was about to provide: “He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:19-20). He had not yet shed His blood nor sacrificed His body, but He wanted them to know how to remember the significant event which was about to take place.

To remember something is to be mindful of it again. The prefix “re-” means “again,” and the Latin word memor means “mindful.” (See “remember,” Online Etymology Dictionary.) When we turn our thoughts to a significant event in the past, it becomes part of our present, and it’s influence endures.

As Nephi and Lehi began their missionary service, they remembered the counsel their father, Helaman, had given them years earlier. He had instructed them to remember:

• The commandments of God
• The significance of their names and the lives of the men they were named after
• The words of King Benjamin and of Amulek about the atoning blood of Jesus Christ
• To build their foundation on “the rock of our Redeemer”

(See Helaman 5:6-12.)

Mormon tells us that as they went forth, “they did remember his words” (Helaman 5:14).

Remembering is not the same as living in the past. It is intentionally retaining things of enduring value: knowledge which can help us in the present and in the future, relationships which endure even through separation, and freedom which we must never take for granted.

Today, I will remember the things that matter most, including God’s deliverance and the Savior’s atonement. I will recommit to move forward in faith, building upon that solid foundation.