I Think I’m Forgetting Something….

In today’s busy world, it seems I’m always forgetting something! And no matter how many sticky notes or lists or calendars I use, invariably something gets overlooked. Now, I am keenly aware that in order to be pleasing to God there are certain things I must NEVER forget. For example, His Word (Psalm 119:11), His Son (Luke 22:19), and His Love (Romans 5:8) should never be far from my thoughts.

But I got to wondering…could it ever be good to forget? Could I find a “silver lining” in this particular cloud of mine? I seem to remember hearing a lesson once about “Remembering to Forget” but, as you can imagine, I’ve forgotten where I put the notes!

So I went to God’s Word and here’s what I found:

• Joseph named his firstborn son Manasseh: “ ‘For,’ he said, ‘God has made me forget all my trouble…’“ Genesis 41:51
• In Proverbs 19:11, I read that “A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression.”
• In Philippians 3:13 Paul says, “…but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on…”

Hmmm, sounds like forgetting isn’t all bad! And as I considered these verses and others, I realized three important things:

1. If I am dwelling on the former things, good or bad, then I may shortchange (or completely miss!) the current opportunities and blessings provided me from God (Psalm 118:24, 2 Corinthians 6:1-2). In Luke 9:62 Jesus said, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

2. If I spend my time living in the past, re-hashing that which has gone on before, then I am not living like one who has died to self (Romans 6:3, 6). Yet I long to be a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and to declare, as did Paul in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me…”.

3. If I allow myself to get caught up in the bad events and negative memories of the past, then I can’t truly move forward. But in Hebrews 12:1 I’m told that I must! It is only by pressing on that I may reap an eternal reward (Philippians 3:14, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, 2 Timothy 4:7-8).

So I now understand that allowing my past–bad or good–to be forefront in my mind renders me useless (not equipped, 2 Timothy 3:17) for any good work. While I can enjoy an occasional quick trip down memory lane, walking that path daily is a recipe for fear, bitterness, hopelessness, sorrow, and false expectations of the future. Therefore, there is a great blessing to be found in forgetting, and I happily rejoice in my faulty memory! So please take my advice and forget something today!