Forgiving Means Forgetting – Sunday Thought For The Day

Have you ever heard someone who professes to be a Christian say that they have forgiven someone for something, but that they will never forget?  I certainly have.

Let me point out that this isn’t being Christlike.  I don’t have a statistic, but in my life as a Christian, I’ve seen many relationships and homes destroyed–not because a particular offense wasn’t said to be
forgiven–but because it was never put behind.

It sounds counter-intuitive to say, but genuine forgiveness, first and foremost includes putting an offense behind us, i.e., forgetting it.

Spouses go through marital counseling to overcome a myriad of issues, but often the scars are never fully healed because the offended spouse believes they are unable to forget.  My position is this: God forgave me and placed my offense behind Him to recall it no more and please don’t tell me “that’s different.”

Dredging up the past and reminding someone about something they’ve done isn’t Godly forgiveness nor is secretly allowing the wrong to fester and become a blister of bitterness; it’s Satan’s way of not forgiving (i.e., destroying relationships).

I’ve seen many incredibly strong and loving Christian relationships, and the one thing they all have in
common is that they take being like Jesus seriously.  And being like Jesus means not just forgiving the person who wronged us,  but putting it behind us (i.e., forgetting).

In certain instances, it may take humbling ourselves and sending the estranged person a note or card that says: “I love you.”  Sometimes that’s enough for long broken fences to be mended.  Remember, Jesus humbled Himself and went to the cross for us, being innocent of any offense.  Even more important to remember, is that He paid the debt for our sin, fully aware that some would curse Him and reject Him.

READ:

Isaiah 38:15-17 (KJV)

15 What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

16 O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.

17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.