I Can't Remember What it is I Forgot

I was on my computer feverishly working when I remembered an email I needed to send.  In the microseconds it took me to click on that tab and open my email, I couldn't remember what I was doing there.  Sadly, this isn't my first moment of temporary memory loss.  I refer to my condition as "mom-nesia". 

Its' symptoms are manifested in various ways:

• Checking the mail up to five times on a federal holiday.
• Throwing away the "keep" pile and saving the "toss" pile.
• Making a list and then forgetting where I put the list.

This morning I am reading Matthew 16.  This passage opens with the Pharisees pressing Jesus to give them a sign from heaven.  Jesus refuses and turns the focus of the discussion from outward signs to heart inspection.  Jesus cautions His disciples to be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees.  The ensuing talk with Jesus' followers clearly demonstrates that "mom-nesia" is not a gender specific disorder.

It's as if the disciples suddenly forget all that Jesus has taught them.  The mere mention of yeast gets their minds focused on bread.  Clearly Jesus was not referring to bread.

I sometimes have "mom-nesia" in my walk with Jesus.  I commit to doing or perhaps not doing a certain thing but out of nowhere I find myself in a place of distraction with no recollection of my original intent.  I once heard Beth Moore say, "If Satan can't destroy you, he'll distract you."  That certainly proves true for me.  I've taken many a trip to the trash can, only to keep the very thing I intended to toss or forget what I was ever doing there to begin with.

When I find myself with "mom-nesia" I can usually recover if I simply stop and reflect.  In a moment of spiritual detour I must do the same if I am to retrace my steps back to Jesus:

• Stop - Multi-tasking is the ultimate catalyst for "mom-nesia".  I have to force myself to be still so that I can remember whatever it is I've forgotten.  The same is true in the spiritual realm.  I must first pause before I turn my thoughts to Him.
• Reflect - If I think hard enough for long enough I will eventually remember what it was that I was doing.  As I reflect on God's faithfulness and work, He gently redirects my thoughts to Him and His purposes for me.

Jesus, it is far too easy for me to forget what I'm doing.  I get distracted and lack focus.  I become ineffective in my walk with You because I fail to remember Your instructions.  Today when I face a moment of spiritual "mom-nesia", I will stop and reflect knowing that those actions redirect my mind and heart to You.