Forgive and forget.
We know that these two words belong together, but maybe it’s not that simple. Maybe “forgive and forget” is easier said than done.
To forgive is just a matter of choice. Forgetting is often a matter of several choices, because it might be necessary to “forget” more than once.
Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was confronted one day with the memory of a betrayal she had experienced years before, but she acted as if she had never heard of the incident.
A friend asked her, “Don’t you remember what that person did?”
“No,” said Clara. “I distinctly remember forgetting it.”
It may be that you need to make the intentional choice (more than once) to remember to forget an offense that has come your way, just as God has chosen to forget our offenses.
“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” (Isaiah 43:25)
Forgiving and forgetting are rarely, if ever, easy things to do. In fact, they almost always require Divine assistance. But the good news is that everything God has asked us to do, He gives us the strength to accomplish.
God forgives your sins. Better yet, He forgets them. He now asks that you pass the forgiveness along to those who have offended you. And for your own sake, as God gives you strength, I encourage you to forget those offenses, as well. It’s always a good thing to “forgive and forget.”
Wishing you faith for today,
Roy
