Help to Remember, a devotion by Keona J Tann

One day my husband came home with a few suits he’d taken to the dry cleaners, they were tied together with a piece of brown string. I immediately thought of how string was used to help people remember. Growing up when I’d mention I’d want to try and remember something I’d often hear the phrase: “tie a piece of string around your finger”.

I need help

Now I’ve gotta say that I need help….. when my adrenal fatigue condition flares up my legs go weak, my hands shake and my brain becomes a fuzzy mess…. trying to do the simplest things becomes difficult and remembering the most basic of things can be impossible. I’ve learnt that I need to:

• make lists when I have tasks to complete or groceries to collect
• and use the calendar reminders in my phone to prompt me about upcoming appointments.

I have at times written a note on my hand (I know Mum, sorry!) but I don’t usually tie a piece of string around my finger, but its an interesting concept so let me share with you what I discovered…….

Why string around a finger?

Now it seems that this was an actual practice, people did indeed tie a piece of string around their fingers to “keep” the thought there, to help them remember. Now maybe it sounds silly but there seems to be something to this because studies have shown that our fingertips have a very strong connection to the brain and in particular the index fingers seem to have the quickest connection to the part of the brain responsible for memory. In 1998 Professor Thomas Elbert discovered that stroke victims could rewire their brains through activities that involved their fingers such as learning braille. The Johns Hopkins University researchers discovered that the brain can be improved with targeted workouts and they developed fingertip tracing exercises to help seniors experiencing memory loss.

Communion

As I began to see the connection between our brain and our fingertips I also saw how this related to communion… you see it is very much a sensory act – we hold the elements that represents Jesus’ sacrifice in our fingers, we hold them and are prompted to remember about His body given and His precious blood that was shed for us. We take the elements and we remember Christ’s eternal sacrifice…. when Jesus came to earth, He came to fulfill all that is written of Him in God’s Word and to offer His body as the one perfect sacrifice for all of time. The old practice, of offering animal sacrifices year after year, could not make our hearts perfect or holy before God, so Jesus came and offered His body as the sacrifice to pay the ultimate price for our sins. By believing in Jesus, accepting Him as our Lord and Saviour, we receive absolute forgiveness and complete cancellation of our sins. This means that Jesus will remove the mistakes of the past, ALL of them for ALL of time! (see Hebrews 10:1-18).
All we need to do is believe.

The Holy Spirit helps us

What Jesus has done is truly amazing, but it can be hard to remember, well that’s why I love Hebrews 10:15-16, the promise that the Holy Spirit helps us. The Holy Spirit testifies and confirms what Jesus has done. We don’t need a piece of string tied around our finger, a note written on our hand or a piece of paper, or a reminder in our phone (all things that can be easily lost) because God promises to:

• write His laws upon our hearts, they are deeply embedded there,
• and fasten His commandments into our thoughts.

This means that there is a renewing taking place, helping us to remember AND also changing, shaping and moulding us. I just absolutely LOVE that.
Spurgeon declares that we are “perfected by His sacrifice” so let’s pause and pray…..

Here’s a prayer you can join me in praying:

Jesus, today I pause to remember what You’ve done and to say: ‘thank You’.
Lord I thank You for being the perfect and eternal sacrifice, for dealing with the penalty of every single sin. Thank You for the reminder that Your sacrifice deals with and takes away every single mistake that I’ve ever made. Lord create in me a new heart and transform my mind. Jesus, I thank You for Your body which suffered much for me and I thank You for Your precious blood that was shed for me, making me perfect, holy and complete for all of time!
Thank You for rising from the dead and for sending the Holy Spirit to help me to remember all the wonderful things that You’ve done.
Lord as I take this moment I ask You to please breathe upon my heart, ignite me with Your great love and let Your hope flood my mind. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray. Amen.

Notes

The section: “Why string around a finger?” was compiled with the help of:

Zippy Facts

[skeptics]

i Advance Seniorcare

Sharp Brains

Brainpaths-LLC

The Spurgeon quote was found in a Commentary on Hebrews 10:14.