Thinking Out Loud, Volume CDLII

My friend spoke to his little girl with a stern, authoritative voice: "Mandi, if you do that one more time, young lady, you're going to be in big trouble. Do you understand me?" "Yes sir." Less than five minutes later, however, she had forgotten that entire exchange, and was back doing exactly what she had been warned not to do. When her dad saw what she was doing, he said, "What did I tell you was gonna happen if you did that again?" It all came back to her then, & she replied, "Oh yeah!!! I forgot!!" You see, she just needed a little reminder, and her dad obliged. That was several years ago, and Mandi has grown into a beautiful young woman with a child of her own. I wish all of you could see what a terrific young lady she has become, then you'd see proof that those reminders work. She was a child, and children need constant reminders, but to be honest, things don't change that much when we grow up. How often does your preacher say something you've never heard before? Unless you're completely new to the church scene, probably not too often, yet we leave feeling refreshed because we've been reminded about some things we actually already knew, but just haven't thought about in a while. Let's face facts: If he tells us something one time, and then never mentions it again, we'll soon forget all about it. Also, when we hear something over and over, we begin to grasp its importance, and it becomes a part of who we are. On August 26, 1972, our wedding day, I told my wife I love her. I've told her the same thing every day since then as well, but I really don't think she gets tired of hearing it. If I had only told her that one time, however, by now she would've concluded I didn't actually mean it when I said it. Maybe we get an indication of how important words are by how often we hear them. How often do we see speed limit signs along the interstate? My monthly car note never changes, yet they send me a reminder every month. How many times does your child tell you he wants candy when you're at the grocery store? In this past election season, how many times did you hear each candidate reminding you to get out and vote on November 4th? Why did the widow receive her request from the unjust judge? According to him, he granted her petition "lest she weary me." Are my words in this article pioneering any new territory? Of course not. Other than the scene I witnessed and described to you about my friend and his dialog with his young daughter, you already knew everything I told you. You've heard it all before....numerous times. I'm just reminding you, and reminders work. Don't be surprised if I mention this again. Preston