Need a Reminder?

by Devin Dabney

Please tell me that I’m not the only one that this happened to...

Somewhere along this journey of life, you woke up and you had turned 30 years old and, in addition to your body letting you know, your brain also appeared to lose some of its ability to remember things.  

Show of hands?  Okay.  I see all those hands waving in agreement.

It seems that in today's society, if you talk to nearly anyone, he or she will share about jam-packed calendars with activities of every sort.  Work and social activities, church services and small groups, educational endeavors, appointments, and meetings. Somehow, in addition to all of that, we find time for social media, family gatherings and dates, and more.  If you're anything like me (yes, I’m in the 35+ club), the best way to keep track of these things is to have reminders. Sometimes, not just a single reminder, but reminders to make sure I don’t forget about the reminders. Just looking at a week on my Google Calendar makes my wife cringe. Whether you use electronic methods like me or you incorporate sticky notes, physical calendars and planners, or dry erase boards, you are aware of the importance of reminders.  

Though we set reminders for all sorts of activities, events, and occurrences, there is one type of important reminder that I believe gets neglected too often by us as Christians.  We need reminders to give regular testimonies about our God. Not only do others around us need to hear what God has done or is doing, but we need to recount these experiences ourselves.

“Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul” - Psalm 66:16 ESV

I have kept a journal off and on for years in which I detailed activities of the day, prayer requests, weather, and how I was feeling at the time.

Every so often, I look back at some of those journal entries and I reflect on all of the ways God has proven himself faithful during the course of my life.  These are reminders, as one of my favorite songs states, “I’ve seen you move, come move the mountains, and I believe, I’ll see you do it again. You made a way, where there was no way, and I believe I’ll see you do it again”.

One of my favorite stories to share is about an experience I had in 2010 shortly after buying our first minivan.  We had traveled 3 hours from our home to buy a van and then after a week, it starting having problems. I took off from work and took it back to the dealer. After a little back and forth talk with service manager, he agreed to fix the issue. The challenge was it would take 13 hours and there were only 2 or 3 hours left in their work day.  I had little money, no clothes, and seemingly nowhere to go, but overhearing my situation was a gentleman who was there buying a car for his wife. He turned out to be a pastor and attorney. Long story short, he took me to get a few essentials at the store, let me stay at his home, paid me after I fixed a printer at his law firm, and made sure I got to the dealership when my van repair was complete . I couldn’t have scripted the situation any better if I wanted to.

A more recent story involves a work trip to Orlando a couple months ago. I took my wife and youngest child with me and the first two rooms that we were assigned to had issues that required attention. As a result of the problems with the rooms, a housekeeper called the front desk to complain on our behalf. This led to us being able to get room service, purchase items from the gift shop, and eat dinner at one of the resort's fancy restaurants.  Because of all the extras that we were able to experience, the trip was amazing.

At times, because of our forgetfulness, we can get discouraged or depressed about our life circumstances, but the testimony of what God has done for others and what he has done for us in the past is enough to reinforce our trust in a God who never fails.

I encourage all who may read this, as I encourage myself, to share what God has done and what he is doing right now.  It is much more valuable than any product or service recommendation we can make. You never know who can benefit from your reminder of what God is able to do.

“That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.” - Romans 1:12 ESV


Devin Dabney and his wife, Shayla, have been married for nearly 14 years and have seven children.   They have been members at Crossings for 4.5 years. You can connect with Devin on social media and via his irregularly updated blog.

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