Remember Your Chains

I was listening to NPR the other day and only caught a few minutes of the program, but they mentioned something about how there are people who don't believe the Holocaust happened. It is one of those things that I've been kind of aware of, that there are people out there who think like this, but for some reason I started thinking about it.

I think it is sad for these people. When we don't remember where we have come from, either by choice or ignorance, then we can't learn from the past. If we don't think about slavery, segregation, the Holocaust, or whatever event, then we can't apply the things we have learned from those events now in the present circumstances.

That is why it is SOO important that we teach these things in our schools. I'm actually a little surprised about how our schools seem to be doing a better job of this. A while back one of my kids at work was talking about how they had learned about slavery and the underground railroad. She was talking about how sad it was that there were slaves. When our kids learn these things, they can then apply this to how they treat the people around them.

It also reminded me of an old Steven Curtis Chapman song called "Remember Your Chains."

quote:

Remember your chains
Remember the prison that once held you
Before the love of God broke through
Remember the place you were without grace
When you see where you are now
Remember your chains
And remember your chains are gone

Imagine what your life would be
If Jesus had not set you free

It is the same way in my Christian life. It is important to remember what I was like before and how I have grown. These helps keep us from judging other people to harshly. If I can see how God has changed me, I can also have faith that God will change others. It also helps me to remember that it didn't happen instantly. It took time and other people encouraging me and being patient with me, and I should be that person to other people around me. And most of all it took God's work in my life and me being open to His movement in my life. And I should pray for others that they would be open to it and that I would continue to be open to it.