Potty Prayers

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today. — Deuteronomy 15:15 (NIV)

God had finally rescued the Israelites from decades of slavery under the Egyptians. God had performed miracle after miracle with the plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. Can you believe the Israelites had to be reminded to remember where they came from? When they grew tired of the manna God provided every day, they complained that they had better food in Egypt. With their selective memory, they forgot about all the pain they had in slavery.

I just got back last night from my family reunion. I was born in Princeton, West Virginia and my parents and I moved to North Carolina when I was eleven (roughly 23 years ago). I used to go back and visit my family (sister, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends) but when I got married and had my daughter, I got lazy. It was just a lot easier to catch people when they came here to visit my parents.

Over the years though, I’d forgotten many things. I had forgotten how depressed the area is — the old, small houses that are falling down; the lack of places to work for something other than minimum wage. The town has grown tremendously from what it was when I lived there, but I never would have had the opportunities I had here in North Carolina.

I’m a big fan of remembering where you came from. It’s very easy to get caught up in the day-to-day troubles and worries to forget the way things used to be, the things you used to worry about and the things you used to do. I used to worry about who I was going to marry. I used to worry about the little baby crying wondering what it was she was trying to tell me. I don’t worry about those things anymore.

I miss the mountains and will always be a mountain girl, but I’m thankful God brought me to where I am now.

Prayer: God thank You so very much for Your love that is so great that it cannot leave us where we are — thank You for the love that changes us and grows us into the people You want us to be. Change is often difficult for all of us when we get set in our ways. Please help us to be filled with Your peace during the changes we need to go through.