"Forgive and
forget." How many times have we heard that? Or what about, "I can
forgive you but I won't ever forget it." Forgive and forget may be the
more godly of the two expressions but in reality the second one is what
is practiced more often. Picture the bitter, offended person saying it.
Or someone who has been deeply and unforgettably hurt. So how does, how can
that person, any person who has been horribly wronged, forgive and
forget? They cannot. I am not a scientist but I have been told that the
human brain remembers everything. Somehow or another the brain stores
up every event in a person's life, including all the pain, agony,
grief, sorrow, and rejection. Recall is a different story. We lose our
keys, forget birthdays and appointments, study for tests but don't
score a 100. But those are usually minor things. Forgetting the deeper
hurts is another story.
So how does one go on? How can a person deal with the unbearable heartache caused by another? Hebrews 8:12 says, "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." Our Omniscient God has made a conscious choice to not remember our sins. But we are not God and trying to not remember something traumatic and painful is a difficult, if not impossible human task. Why do we forget the minor things like the placement of car keys or the answer to a test question? Probably because we are not focused on those things. They do not get enough of our attention to be "on the front burner". Remembering and forgetting is all about our thought process. Do we constantly dwell on what that person did to us, how they crushed us, how thoughtless and uncaring they were? Or do we focus on good things? How has God blessed us? How is he working in our lives? What are the positive, pure and lovely things that we can meditate on? No, we may never truly forget the wrongs of another against us. But we can forgive. And it is mandatory to purposely focus on something else besides how hurt we are. Someone told me once, "I don't know how you can forgive me after what I've done to you." I told that person, "My other choice is to be bitter, hateful and miserable." I don't have room in my heart for those feelings. So I gave them all to God who has abundantly pardoned me and promised me beauty for ashes. How can I not forgive others?
"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." Phillipians 4:7-9
Written by Karen W of Ellie Marie Designs
So how does one go on? How can a person deal with the unbearable heartache caused by another? Hebrews 8:12 says, "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." Our Omniscient God has made a conscious choice to not remember our sins. But we are not God and trying to not remember something traumatic and painful is a difficult, if not impossible human task. Why do we forget the minor things like the placement of car keys or the answer to a test question? Probably because we are not focused on those things. They do not get enough of our attention to be "on the front burner". Remembering and forgetting is all about our thought process. Do we constantly dwell on what that person did to us, how they crushed us, how thoughtless and uncaring they were? Or do we focus on good things? How has God blessed us? How is he working in our lives? What are the positive, pure and lovely things that we can meditate on? No, we may never truly forget the wrongs of another against us. But we can forgive. And it is mandatory to purposely focus on something else besides how hurt we are. Someone told me once, "I don't know how you can forgive me after what I've done to you." I told that person, "My other choice is to be bitter, hateful and miserable." I don't have room in my heart for those feelings. So I gave them all to God who has abundantly pardoned me and promised me beauty for ashes. How can I not forgive others?
"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." Phillipians 4:7-9
Written by Karen W of Ellie Marie Designs
10:33 AM |
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comments
Comments (3)
I struggle with this every day. There are 2 people I feel I can never forgive. My ex and the woman (supposedly my best friend) who took him away.
♥♥♥
Sue
Awesome post, Karen. As Abba forms Christ in us, we become more and more like Him and He enables us to do what He does - put offenses as far away from us as east is from west and that after we have canceled the debt of the one who injured us.
It is a determined, volitional decision - has nothing whatsoever to do with feelings/emotions (wrong part of the brain). Has to do with will, intention, determination, decisiveness, volition, purpose. (Rita's amplified)
Thank you for this devotion, I so needed to hear those words.
Julia