Remembering the Journey: Raising Your Ebenezer in Family Life

The ornament hit the floor and shattered — the one with the photo from their first year of marriage.

At first, Amy felt like crying. Another thing broken. But then she looked closer at the fragments — the smiling faces, the tiny date etched at the bottom: 2010.

So much had changed since then. So many storms survived.

She knelt to gather the pieces and called her daughter over. “You know,” she said softly, “maybe we’ll glue this one back together. It’ll remind us how God held us together too.”

Later, as the lights glowed softly and the tree filled with memories, Amy found herself tracing the stories behind each ornament — the handmade preschool ones with fading paint, the souvenir from a long-ago family trip, the delicate glass angel from a season of loss.

Each decoration carried its own emotion — joy, sorrow, gratitude. But woven through them all was one unmistakable thread: God had been faithful through it all.

As she stepped back and looked at the tree, she realized it wasn’t just a decoration. It was an Ebenezer — a living monument of grace, a testimony in twinkling lights.

Why God Commands Us to Remember

“When your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’”
— Joshua 4:21–22

When the Israelites crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land, God gave them an assignment that was both practical and deeply spiritual. He told them to take twelve stones from the riverbed — one for each tribe — and stack them on the other side as a monument.

Those stones weren’t decoration; they were discipleship.

Each one told a story: of water that stopped flowing, of dry ground where there had once been danger, of a faithful God who keeps His promises.

Faith doesn’t grow in theory — it grows through memory. We remember so we won’t forget who God is when life feels uncertain again. We remember so our children will know that the God who led us through yesterday can still be trusted today.

In many ways, remembering is one of the most powerful spiritual disciplines. It roots us in truth when emotions pull us in every direction.

What is an “Ebenezer?”

The word Ebenezer appears in 1 Samuel 7:12, when the prophet Samuel raised a stone of remembrance after God delivered Israel from their enemies:

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’”

Ebenezer means “stone of help.” It wasn’t meant to be worshiped — it was meant to help people remember Who had done the helping.

It was Samuel’s way of saying, We made it this far only because of the Lord.

We might not stack literal stones today, but we all need reminders — a note tucked into a Bible, a photo from a hard season, a child’s drawing that marked a turning point. These small Ebenezers speak louder than we realize. They remind weary hearts: God helped me then. He’ll help me now.

When life feels fragile, that simple confession can steady the soul.

Why Remembering Matters

1. Gratitude steadies the heart.
   When we look back intentionally, gratitude turns chaos into clarity. It doesn’t erase the pain, but it reframes it — revealing how God’s mercy wove through moments we thought were wasted. Gratitude doesn’t ignore reality; it anchors us in a bigger one.
2. Reflection redeems pain.
   Israel’s forty years in the wilderness weren’t a failure; they were formation. Every delay and detour became part of God’s patient story of love. In our own wilderness seasons, reflection helps us see that the very places we wanted to escape are often where God did His deepest work.
3. Storytelling builds faith.
   Joshua’s stones were conversation starters. When parents told their children, “This is where God brought us through,” they weren’t just sharing history — they were transferring identity. Telling faith stories at the table or in the car keeps God’s goodness alive in family memory.
4. Remembering shapes identity.
   Families who tell their stories of grace raise children who know where they come from — not just genetically, but spiritually. A child who knows their parents’ testimony grows up expecting God to show up for them too.
5. Forgetfulness leads to fear.
   When we forget what God has already done, the unknown feels terrifying. Remembering breaks that cycle. It helps us face tomorrow with a heart that says, “He’s done it before — He’ll do it again.”

Raising Your Own Ebenezer

You don’t need a dramatic moment to mark God’s faithfulness. Often, the most meaningful memorials are woven quietly into family life.

Keep a “Joshua Jar.”
Place a jar in your kitchen or family room — somewhere visible. Write moments of God’s help on slips of paper: an answered prayer, a provision you didn’t expect, a moment of peace after tears. Review them together at the end of the month or year, and let your family see how full the jar becomes.

Collect symbolic stones.
Keep a bowl of smooth river rocks and a permanent marker nearby. When something good happens — big or small — write a word or date on a stone. Over time, you’ll see a pile of proof: Thus far the Lord has helped us.

Tell the stories aloud.
Every story told aloud strengthens the memory. At dinner, bedtime, or in the car, tell your children about a time you prayed and God answered. They may roll their eyes, but they’re listening — and one day, they’ll repeat those same stories to their own children.

Create an annual “Faith Tree.”
Just as a Christmas tree can hold stories of God’s faithfulness, so can an ordinary branch placed in a vase. Hang paper leaves or tags with prayers, praises, or Scriptures written on them. Over time, you’ll watch a visual testimony of your family’s spiritual growth take shape.

The Spiritual Power of Remembering

In every family, there are moments that mark us — not just the milestones, but the quiet mercies in between. The late-night provision when the bank account was nearly empty. The reconciliation after a painful season. The laughter that returned after months of silence.

Most of us rush past those moments once the crisis is over. We breathe a sigh of relief and move on — but in doing so, we sometimes miss the miracle. Remembering is how we reclaim it.

When we pause to trace God’s hand through the past, we see patterns we couldn’t recognize in the moment. The detours that looked like delays were often God’s redirections. The unanswered prayers became the doorway to something truer. Gratitude becomes more than a feeling; it becomes evidence of grace.

The Israelites didn’t raise their stones just to celebrate one victory — they did it to declare a truth that would carry them through the next battle: “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” Every Ebenezer points forward as much as it points back.

Maybe your family’s “stones” aren’t literal, but you have them — the journal entry you wrote through tears, the photo from a hospital room, the note of encouragement that came at just the right time. Every reminder whispers the same message: You were never alone.

Remembrance is worship in slow motion. It transforms ordinary life into sacred ground. And when you tell those stories out loud — especially to your children — you’re not just keeping memories alive; you’re building faith that outlives you.

Faith Woven Through Generations

Children learn faith not only by what we teach, but by what we remember. When they see us pause to give thanks, to point out God’s fingerprints on the ordinary day, they begin to recognize His hand in their own stories too.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. A quiet prayer before bed, a shared story at the dinner table, or a conversation in the car can all become sacred moments of remembrance. Over time, those small rhythms build a culture of gratitude that strengthens families from the inside out.

Maybe this week you light a candle after dinner and ask, “Where did you see God’s help today?” Maybe you write it on a sticky note and post it on the fridge — your own modern-day stone of help. As the days pass, you’ll see those notes multiply, small testaments of a faithful God.

What starts as a moment of reflection becomes a family rhythm of trust.

A Living Testimony

Every home holds stories of grace waiting to be told. When we give them voice, our walls begin to echo with truth: The Lord has helped us this far — and He will not stop now.

So look around your home — at the photographs, the scribbled notes, the souvenirs of ordinary days — and ask what they might be saying. Maybe they are your Ebenezers, quiet witnesses of mercy that call you to remember.

The wilderness is where we learn trust; remembrance is where that trust turns into testimony.
Don’t rush past what God has already done. Raise your Ebenezer, retell the story, and let gratitude become the rhythm that carries your family forward.

Your home can be a living altar — a place where stories of grace are told, remembered, and passed down.

Step Into a Faithful Rhythm

If your family is ready to move from reacting to remembering — from survival mode to spiritual rhythm — the Faithful Families All-Access Community is designed for you.

Inside, we practice these truths together through daily live coaching, biblical teaching, and conversations that reconnect hearts to God’s presence in everyday life. You’ll find encouragement, structure, and a family of believers learning to walk by faith, not by fear.

It’s not about adding more to your plate — it’s about creating space to notice what God is already doing.

Come raise your Ebenezer with us.

Other ways to connect with us:
👉 Marriage, Mayhem, and Mercy podcast, where we apply the messy stories of the Bible to modern family life.

👉 Messy Families, Faithful God newsletter, with bite-sized weekly “real-life” stories and coaching tips