My four year-old took a stroll down memory lane today as he looked through the forgotten toys at the bottom of his toy box. He happened to find a Happy Meal toy, got this far-off look in his eye and said, “Mommy, remember that hamburger? It was SO good.” My boy loves hamburgers. He calls himself “a hamburger eating machine”. Up until today’s discovery of the Happy Meal toy, I had really thought his preference for hamburgers was because of his enjoyment of the included toy. Now I’m starting to wonder if it’s the other way around. I find it fascinating that the toy immediately made him remember the joy he found in the hamburger.
In a strange way, it made me think of the Children of Israel and how God often instructed them to construct memorials to remember what God has done. There are many amazing things God has done in our lives, but sometimes we need something tangible to help us remember His goodness to us. We are a forgetful people and prone to only think of our current crisis. Both of the times my husband and I lost babies through miscarriages we were blessed with little gifts that have helped us remember how faithful God was during that time. Our home is a bit of a monument to our trip to West Africa to adopt our son- it’s full of art and artifacts that help us remember what Liberia was like and how God brought our son into our family. I want to now be more intentional about surrounding myself with those reminders of God’s faithfulness so when times are tough I can see how He has brought me through. Maybe those Happy Meal advertising guys are on to something after all.