I Will Never Forget You!

“I’ll never forget you!” my friend said as we hugged. My words echoed hers. I turned, then boarded my flight from Argentina to my home in Colorado. I'd spent a lovely summer with a wonderful Italian family in a suburb of Buenos Aires, where I attended school and made good friends.        

Certain people touch our lives in ways we never forget, leaving a lasting impression on our hearts. We cherish them and remember them.  

I thought about friends I had during childhood and an incident that took place in third grade. My teacher got mad at me because I wrote my friends' names on my hand with an ink pen. She made me scrub off the ink in the bathroom. I was upset to get in trouble for this. My friends were special to me, and writing their names on my hand was my way of thinking about them.

We hold a special place in our hearts for our friends. God's Word speaks of friendship, too. A verse from Proverbs 18:24 tells us there is one friend "who sticks closer than a brother." That friend is Jesus.  

There is another verse I'd like to share with you (and if I'd known about it in third grade, I wouldn't have felt so bad about getting in trouble). The verse is from Hebrews 13:5; where the Lord says, “I will not forget you. See. I have written your name on my hand.”  
What beautiful, comforting, and reassuring promises! 

As you begin your week, may your heart be joy-filled, knowing how much God loves you! Your name is written on His hand—and no one can erase it!        
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"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

P.S. - A beloved hymn that relates to today's story:  "What a Friend we Have in Jesus."  

Photo courtesy of Vecteezy.com

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