I’m a spring type of person. I love this time of year. It’s just getting a little warmer. The sun feels so great on my skin. The grass is a little greener. It’s a welcome relief from the short and cold days of winter.

When I think of this time of year I think of the smells. I have the baseball glove that I used all through my childhood. Sometimes I just take that glove and cover up my face with it and breathe in. It is a great smell and so unique. That battered old leather brings back so many memories. It is amazing how one little insignificant thing can evoke such joy and excitement. I’ve made so many memories with that glove, so many lessons, so many significant times and places, and I’m transported back to them by just a little whiff of that saddle soap soaked piece of cow.

Memories are important. Working with the kids in our church reminds me of that every day. Many times we as youth leaders are striving to create significant memories for the youth. We take them to retreats like Winter Weekend. We spend time raising money for The 30 Hour Famine. We go to events like Acquire the Fire. We take them on mission trips. We do all this to have an impact, to put a God shaped dent into their hearts. These things are important. When they look at pictures, hear a verse from that event, even remember the car ride, they are hopefully reminded of how God was speaking to them during that time.

Easter is a time for memory as well. Easter is time when we remind ourselves of the true Love that God had for us in giving up His Son. It is a time that we are reminded of His Grace and how we most definitely don’t deserve it. Lastly, we are reminded of how we can begin anew because of what Christ did for us on that Cross.

Memories are important. Let’s remember to make some that last!