Tisha B'Av

We didn't have class yesterday because of the Jewish holiday Tisha B'Av. On this day, Jewish people are supposed to fast and mourn in remembrance of the destruction of the first and second temples, which are believed to have been destroyed on the same day hundreds of years apart.

I didn't fast and mourn, but I did learn a crucial lesson: the importance of remembering. All throughout the Old Testament, God commanded His people to set up altars or build memorials so a certain event or period of history would be remembered for generations. Holidays also serve this purpose. The celebration of Passover commemorates the Exodus out of Egypt; Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ; Good Friday is the day Christians set aside to mourn the death of Jesus, and Easter Sunday is the day we celebrate His resurrection.

All of these holidays are meant to remind us of one important truth: God is faithful. I think if we set some time aside during the day to remember God's faithfulness in our own lives, perhaps we wouldn't be as anxious or fearful about what the future holds. We might even have peace, knowing that God has a much better plan for our lives than we could ever come up with ourselves.