October 1, 2026
I may have said this before, and I will say it again. I am a lover of cards and notes. I like to write them, but I also like to receive them. I mean, who doesn't like to get something in the mail besides junk mail or a bill?
I also like to look back at comments on social media posts. It's nice to see comments from people whom you might not have seen or heard from in a long time. I sat down this morning with my coffee and was looking for an article that I had written and posted about several months ago. It caused me to get caught up in reading posts and comments from several years ago. I have to say it was very encouraging.
The last few weeks have been tough on me emotionally. I have struggled with feeling needed, loved, and worthy. I know in my heart that I am all these things, but there are times when I might listen to the "wrong" voice in my head. Satan knows my weak spots, and unfortunately, there are times he launches a full-out attack on them. There are days I have to "look back" to "move forward."
Sometimes it's just about remembering - remembering how God has worked, how He has provided, and how others have prayed. It's not about living in the past, but it is about recognizing and remembering God's faithfulness. This is exactly why I save notes and cards. They are physical evidence of God sending others to lift you up emotionally by allowing you to feel needed, loved, and prayed for.
This is also the reason I love looking back on posts and comments on my social media accounts. The time I spent today reading those posts and comments encouraged me. I read where I had posted last year when our daughter had back surgery. There were so many people who prayed for her. It just really blessed me to read those comments. The day after her surgery, Wayne was admitted into the hospital for a blood infection in his leg. I posted asking for prayer. Reading all the comments was overwhelming. Knowing we had so many people praying for us made me feel loved and very cared for.
Looking back also allows you to see how God has worked in your own life. During Wayne's hospital stay, he spent seven days on IV antibiotics. He was very close to an extremely dangerous situation with his leg. God allowed him to be healed, and barring some permanent bruising on his leg, there are no lasting effects. I also am able to see how God carried me through. It was a very tough situation when you are trying to assist and take care of your disabled daughter, who had back surgery, and also be at the hospital for your husband.
I would run to my daughter's and check on her, get her food, make sure she had her medicine, and take her laundry with me to do later. Then I would run to the hospital to check on and sit with Wayne. The term "run yourself ragged" fit me very well during that time frame. But looking back on that time has encouraged me to move forward.
God provided healing, people to pray for us, and all our needs, both financially and physically, were met. It allowed me to remember that the same God who provided what I lacked, gave me strength for the journey, and sent others to love and pray for me is still there today. That has not changed one bit. He is the same loving God today as He was then.
Moving forward doesn't mean I have to have all the answers; it just requires me to have trust in my Heavenly Father. Trust can be built on remembering from looking back. When I look back, I have a million reasons to know that I am loved and worthy because there are a million ways God has shown me. These are the things I need to focus on when I am feeling sad, forgotten, unworthy, unloved, and any other negative feeling that Satan tries to use against me. Psalms 77:11 says, "I will remember the deeds of the Lord, yes, I will remember His miracle of long ago." Remembering God's work in your life is a good thing. We all need to take the time to do this. It can be so encouraging.
I will keep saving the notes and cards and look back at social media posts when I am feeling low. As you remember and look back at all God has done in your life, allow that to fill your heart. The same God who lifted your burdens, encouraged your heart, and cleared your mind during those times is already ahead of you now, making a way for you to keep moving forward. Isn't God good!
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Jill Johnson finds spiritual applications in her everyday experiences as a wife, mother, grandmother, and Georgian. Jill is retired from the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and is available to speak to your church's women's gatherings. Reach her at jjohnson@gabaptist.org.
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