The History Channel has been airing a mini-series called The Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, the book is being reenacted in a 10-part series. I was flipping through the TV channels and came across the episode in which God used Moses to deliver the Hebrew nation from the bonds of Egyptian slavery. We know the story (if you don't, take a look at Exodus).

God sent Moses to Egypt and despite telling Pharaoh that he needed to "Let my people go," Pharaoh refused for quite a while. Through amazing miracles and signs, God showed Pharaoh who was boss. What really caught my attention, though, was how, despite all these great things God did, His people soon forgot and began to murmur and complain.

After some 400 years or so of slavery, after the plagues, and miracles performed, they were free. Even after they entered the wilderness, the great miracles of God continued. The nation was followed by a cloud by day and fire by night, protecting them from the elements and leading them where they needed to go. The Red Sea was parted for them and food fell from the heavens (manna and quail). Despite these momentous miracles, they seemed to so quickly forget them. They looked at all the things that weren't going the way they wanted them to and grumbled and complained about Moses and about God. Horrible, right?

I've often thought, "How ungrateful could they possibly be? Geez, if I were them..." But shamefacedly, I have to wonder if I wouldn't have been just like them. I daresay a lot of us would be. Let's look at our own lives. How many times has God proven His might and power, His grace and mercy and His boundless love - only for us to soon complain about something else? Soon after one great feat of His, we are tapping impatient toes and rolling eyes heavenward wondering where God is and why He hasn't fixed our current problem in what we deem to be a timely manner.

God knows our weaknesses as individuals and collectively as humans. He knows that our memories of His grace and goodness tend to be a bit poor. He is a patient God, but sometimes we really push it! We have to be better. We have to remember that the God who did things as grand as parting mighty waters in yesteryear is the same God we are serving today. He promises never to leave or forsake us and urges us to cast our cares on Him. He is more than capable of handling our issues and He has done it before. It's normal for us to feel discouraged from time to time and He's equipped us with what we need to combat that discouragement.

We must not grieve His heart with our ungratefulness. Let's keep our eyes steadfast upon Him. If we allow ourselves to forget and start complaining, we may end up like the Hebrew people; a 40 day trip became a 40 year journey because they forgot the goodness of the Lord and began grumbling.

Practical ways to jog the spiritual memory:

· Keep track. When you experience God's provision, a miracle, or any kind of answer to prayer, jot it down. When the day of discouragement comes (and yes, it WILL come), read about the ways He has come through for you before.

· Know the Word. If you struggle with discouragement often, find the scriptures of encouragement and memorize them. Every now and again I use a dry-erase marker and write scriptures on my bathroom mirror or on a piece of paper and hang it up somewhere.

If you do find that you've been guilty of a bad memory, don't worry. God knows He's working with imperfect people and is always willing to forgive us. All you've got to do is purpose in your heart today to switch things up!

Shari Grant is a Registered Nurse in South Florida, where she was raised in a (very!) Jamaican home. Some of the loves of her life are words (both reading and writing them) and missions work. She enjoys spending time with friends and family while living for a good laugh - one that makes her belly ache and her eyes water. Her bottom line goal in life is to make the Lord smile and maybe even serve Him up a chuckle from time to time, too.