The Wisdom of Remembering & the Wisdom to ForgetSample

Forgive and forget

We learned from Isaiah 43 that God will not remember our sins anymore once they are forgiven. In 1 Corinthians 13, we read a similar statement about love: it is not resentful. Or, as other translations have it, “love does not remember wrongs done against it.”

Some people tend to keep a mental list of wrongs that they have experienced. This creates bitterness and distrust and inevitably leads to fresh eruptions of anger. But we are called to an attitude of love and mercy. We should forgive others as we have been forgiven: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” And when wrongs have been forgiven, they ought to be forgotten. We should not bring them up again or hold a grudge against the person who wronged us.

This requires a conscious decision not to remember the injustice done to us and to begin anew—just as God offers us a new beginning when we ask him for forgiveness.

Do you keep such a mental list of wrongs done to you? Ask God for wisdom and strength to forget about them!