Lyrics
Verse 1
The things that I love
And hold dear to my heart
Are just borrowed
They're not mine at all
Jesus only lets me use them
To brighten my life
So remind me, remind me, dear Lord
Verse 2
Roll back the curtain of memory now and then
Show me where You brought me from and
Where I could have been
Just remember I'm a human, and humans forget
So remind me, remind me, dear Lord
Verse 3
Nothing good have I done
To deserve God's own Son
I'm not worthy of the scars
In His hands
Yet He chose the road to Calvary
To die in my stead
Why He loved me I can't understand
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
"Remind Me, Dear Lord" opens by naming everyday attachments, things loved and held dear, as ultimately borrowed rather than truly owned, given only to "brighten" life rather than to possess permanently. That framing of possessions as loaned rather than earned sets the tone for the song's larger theme of forgetfulness and needed reminder.
Its chorus asks directly for memory to be refreshed, picturing a curtain pulled back to reveal both where one has come from and where one could have ended up instead. That image of contrasted paths, actual versus possible, frames gratitude as something requiring active remembrance rather than automatic feeling.
Rooted in Southern gospel's reflective testimony style, the song functions as a request for humility against forgetfulness, its closing verse naming undeserved salvation directly, admitting no ability to understand why Christ chose the road to Calvary in place of the singer.
Related Scripture
- Romans 5:8 Describes Christ dying for sinners while they were still sinners, echoed in the song's admission of undeserved salvation.
- Deuteronomy 8:2 Instructs remembering the journey God has brought his people through, echoed in the song's request to be reminded of where one has come from.