One thing we cannot lose ............. Parables 768

November 27, 2002

The older I get, the more often my memory takes naps. Today, I thought about a lady I know who owns a quilt store in BC. I can see her face but cannot remember her name.

Forgetting names is bad enough, but this sleepy memory also forgets how to spell. This week, inconsistencies became enconsistancies. I’m thankful for spell-checkers and dictionaries!

But I wonder what will disappear from my head next. Will I try to phone my daughter and forget her number? Will I see my neighbors and forget where I met them? Will I drive downtown and forget how to get home?

The prospects of dementia are doubly frightening as I think about my mother’s decline due to Alzheimer’s disease. She could not remember her own face at times, even though she always remembered mine. Her confusion was often frustrating as she tried to say something and could not remember the words to describe her thoughts.

However, as I think of her dementia, I must also remind myself of two things. One, she was nearly always happy. And two, her relationship with God remained constant. There are some things that memory loss cannot take away.

Edward T. Welch, in his book “Blame it on the Brain?” says that the spirit and the mind are two different things. While one does have some influence on the other, a person with any type of mental disorder or brain injury is still able to hear God speak, understand spiritual matters, be joyful, and talk to God in prayer.

He uses Scripture to back up his theory. In 2 Corinthians 4, the Apostle Paul talks about physical decline. He says, “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”

That verse and others like it show me that what happens to our body does not prevent God from speaking to our spirit. His Spirit communicates with our spirit, not just our minds.

Welch’s book illustrates with true stories. One is about a cranky man with Alzheimer’s who was bitter and impatient. He made many demands on his care giver daughter. Both were Christians. The daughter was frustrated, but decided to be patient and kind. She finally asked her dad to be less demanding. To her delight, he responded as she asked. His mind was not working but he could still repent from his ornery attitude and experience God’s cleansing power.

In another story, Welch tells of a woman whose dementia robbed her of the ability to remember and talk about much of anything. Mostly she communicated how much she hated God. Her care giving family could not leave her home by herself, so each Sunday they took her to church with them. One day on the way home, she said, “I need forgiveness for what I have done.” Her family explained once more that Jesus died for her sins and that forgiveness was available through faith in Him. The woman believed and received Christ as her Lord and Savior.
From then on, she talked about Jesus all the time, telling her friends and others about his love and forgiveness. Her mind was dying, but her spirit received new life.

Actually, my mother’s loss of memory was not so bad. She did not suffer anxiety. We all want that. She was able to laugh about it, another good thing. I’m sure she passed her days in contentment because the Lord was with her. He gave her that peace and good humor.

Just writing this reminds me of one more thing that dementia cannot take from anyone. Because He promised, “Lo, I am with you always,” we can lose our memory but we can never lose Jesus.