(From the book: Second Forgetting by Dr. Benjamin Mast – this is one of the best books on the Spiritual Side of Alzheimer’s Disease – I highly recommend it)
We are all imperfect and broken. We forget the Lord, even in the best of health. This is what I call “the second forgetting.” The first forgetting is experienced by the person with Alzheimer’s, but the second forgetting reflects the spiritual forgetting experienced not only by the person with Alzheimer’s, but more broadly by their family, friends, and even the church who seeks to care for them.
Exodus 15:2, 11, 13
It was a truly unforgettable moment. God remembered His promise, reminded His people of that promise, and miraculously delivered them. … Yet it only took three days for Israel to forget what God had done.
So a cycle emerges. It starts with God promising to be among His people, to care for them, and to deliver them to the home He has promised. … when troubles arise later they forget God and doubt His promises … they groan … God again rescues them … He continues faithful to His promises.
The fact that we rejoice in God’s goodness one minute and grumble against Him in the next reflects the brokenness of our memory and our ongoing struggle with sin.
This cycle goes on and on throughout the Old Testament and still in us today…
When we are faced with threats, where do our minds go? Do we focus on the magnitude of the threat or on the remembrance of God’s past faithfulness and His promises for the future? When we focus on the threat, we begin to forget.
Just like Israel we too have a tendency to forget, grumble, and tremble in fear.
When faced with things that terrify us and push us to the brink of despair, we too forget.
We forget how God has provided for us in the past and how He has promised us a brighter future, regardless of our present circumstances.
We forget that God is present and lovingly caring for us, even when we are in the midst of great suffering.
Sometimes we remember God’s faithfulness at an intellectual level, but because our suffering is so great, we don’t trust that He will be faithful again.
Alzheimer’s disease is a powerful foe.
When we are overwhelmed by the challenges of Alzheimer’s, we are prone to forget the Lord, like the Israelites in the Old Testament, and this contributes to even greater feelings of hopelessness, despair, and isolation.
We need to never forget that – soon (in His time) He will bring us into the true Promised Land.
[Psalm 34:8] Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
What Should We Remember?
The second forgetting reflects our tendency to forget the foundational Christian truths of:
- God’s faithfulness in the past
- His presence in the midst of current trials
- His promises for the future
We can’t do anything about the first forgetting. We cannot change the underlying damage to the brain that causes Alzheimer’s. But we can address the second forgetting.
We Must Examine our Hearts
- How do I respond in crisis?
- Do I remember the Lord and look to Him for help?
- Or do I quickly become overwhelmed to the point of panic and despair?
God is not calling us to ignore the emotional and physical difficulties we face. In fact, Scripture encourages us to mourn together
[Romans 12:15] Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
And He calls us to cry out
[Psalm 6:1] O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
[2] Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak;
O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled.
[3] My soul also is greatly troubled;
But You, O LORD—how long?
[4] Return, O LORD, deliver me!
Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake!
(read the rest of the Psalm…)
God calls us to remember Him in the midst of crisis and suffering, to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). He invites us to remember all that He has done and promised. He also calls us to be present with one another in suffering, just as He is present with us.
We are NOT called to journey through suffering alone. We need each other to help us remember.
Pastors and church members, it may not seem clear how you can answer the call to help people remember. (The church is also prone to forget.)
How can any of us help each other remember the power and hope of the gospel in the midst of great trials caused by Alzheimer’s disease?
Remember: God’s grace does not depend on what we do, including our ability to remember. … All depends fully on what Christ has done for us.
We don’t remember Him to earn His favor or to rescue…
We remember so that we can know how to journey with one another through the wilderness in search of our promised home – a place where there will be no tears, no suffering, and no forgetting.
Consider this question:
What might God be calling you to remember from the past as you face this trial?
Are there specific events God is calling you to remember as evidence of how He has always been with you?
Remember – How did God provide?
How can you take courage in trusting the Lord in the present difficulty as you face the future?