What Do We Remember After We Die

What do those who have already died remember about you and me?

I will deviate from my Bible schedule journal today because today would have been my sister’s 73rd birthday.

I suppose their memory of us depends on who they were to us, how close the relationship was, and how important we were in their lives. With the living, some memories soften over the years. Others never do. They stay attached to dates, phone calls, hospital rooms, and moments we did not know were lasts while they were happening.

Solomon says something that feels blunt and even uncomfortable.

“The living know they will die, but the dead know nothing, and people forget them” (Ecclesiastes 9:5, NCV).

But that raises a question for me. What about those who died? What do they remember?

That verse is often misunderstood. Solomon is not talking about heaven. He is describing life under the sun, for those still living. From this side of eternity, time moves on. New people come along. Life keeps going. And eventually, most of us are forgotten by the world. Sad, but true.

Believe it or not, God’s Word does address this.

Jesus gives us a glimpse beyond death when He says, “Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your life you had good things’” (Luke 16:25, NCV).

Memory remains. Identity remains. A life is not wiped clean.

Revelation shows the same truth. “They shouted, ‘How long will it be before you judge the people on earth?’” (Revelation 6:10, NCV).

They remember what happened. They remember injustice. They remember their story.

And yet God makes this promise. “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4, NCV).

God does not say He wipes away memory. He wipes away tears.

That distinction matters. Our memory remains, but our pain is redeemed. What once hurt will no longer wound. What once confused will finally make sense.

For those of us left behind, memory can go in different directions. We can remember the good or the bad. For me, when I think about the loved ones I have lost, I do not remember much of the bad. I have asked God to remove those memories, and I really believe He has. What remains are the good moments, the lessons, and the impact they had on my life. I do not walk away bitter. I walk away thankful. That feels like grace.

Today I ponder these things. When my sister died in 2020, she was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer and died thirty one days later. My grandmom died on my sister’s birthday. My mom died on my stepmother’s birthday. My dad, mom, and sister all died in the month of June in different years but the same month. Now only my brother Rick and I remain from my mother’s side of the family.

So what about Jesus? What does He remember about you and me after He died?

He remembers. He knows. He is alive. And He is returning to take rightful control of everything. “Then the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and he will reward each person according to what he has done” (Matthew 16:27, NCV).

Nothing about our lives is forgotten by Him.

So how should all of this shape the way we live now?

I say make good memories. Make new friends.

No, these new friends will not replace the people we loved and lost. Nothing does. But good friendships help fill the voids loss leaves behind. Build new memories with God loving, God serving people. Walk with people who remind you of truth, grace, and hope. We help them grow, and they help us grow too.

Solomon said it plainly. “Some friends may ruin you, but a real friend will be more loyal than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24, NCV).

There really is nothing like a good friend.

LORD, help me be a good friend. Help me find good friends. Thank You that even in death, You redeem our memory. What a God You are. IJNIP. Amen ♥️

(A picture of my sister and me backpacking)