Forget-me-not

 "Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 8:1

I often wonder how things get their name. Take for example, the Forget-Me-Not flower. The very name pictures some sort of sad story - a story of departure, of separation, of death, perhaps even a brutal execution of an innocent. I digress.  

Legend has it that a young knight was walking with his betrothed by the river when romance over took him and he leaned over to get a bouquet of flowers from the bank for his love. Unfortunately, he lost his balance, fell into the river, and because of his armor, began to sink and drown. His last words were...you guessed it..."I should have bought chocolate." But that was a very long and stupid name for a flower. No. They went with "forget me not." 

And she said, "Is that all there is...is that all there is...is that all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. Bring out the booze and have a ball. If that's all there...whoops...so sorry. I was back singing that old Peggy Lee song again. (August 25th blog). 

Young maidens from thence forth wore these flowers as a sign of faithfulness and deep love for the men who went off to battle and those who did not return. 

Just an FYI - it actually has roots in the Greek language and originally meant, "mouse ears." Less romantic, I know, but true none-the-less. "Hey, Hon, I picked you some mouse ears." Loses something in the translation. 

"Forget-me-not," God tells his people when they enter into the Promised Land. "Forget-me-not" when you become rich and prosperous. "Forget-me-not" when you live in safety, when you live in nice houses, when your flocks increase, when your children are doing well. "Forget-me-not" when it seems that you don't need me anymore. "Forget-me-not."  

"Forget-me-not" when the ungodly push me out of school. "Forget-me-not" when they legally begin to kill my babies in the womb. "Forget-me-not" when they force My church to close. "Forget-me-not" when My Word becomes hate speech. "Forget-me-not."

Forget-me-not" when you feel anxious about tomorrow and concerned about your future as a follower of My Son. "Forget-me-not" when sorrow overwhelms, when My voice seems to be silent, when My hand seems to be cold, when the heavens seem to be shut, when death separates. "Forget-me-not." 

The point is that God knows I have a tendency to forget His presence - in good times and bad (unfortunately). Any type of stress, any type of discontent (especially when things are going well) should be a sign that I'm forgetting God. 

A good reminder...

Now... off to buy my beloved a box of chocolate and some mouse ears. 

"Forget-me-not."