Forgive and Forget

For me, forgiving and forgetting are perhaps the two most difficult acts for me to accomplish. There are so many aspects involved; Confessing to God and asking forgiveness, forgiving others of their trespasses, forgiving ourselves, and finally moving on......and forgetting. Because of the life I lived, run by drugs and alcohol, forgiving and forgetting are one of the more difficult parts of my journey. I am constantly finding my thoughts drifting back to times past.....remembering my sins and my trespasses and those that trespassed against me. I still find myself confronted by new sins and new trespasses.

MY Life MY Sin
Today, I deal much better with forgiving and forgetting my sins. I pray and ask for forgiveness every night. The sins I commit through out the day, I can honestly say I try to avoid. For example: Advertisers love to use ‘sex’ to sell their products. I do my very best not to have a lustful heart. No matter how my individual battles with sin turn out, I can honestly say that I feel God’s presence in my life. God knows I am trying and that alone makes my journey an easier one.

My Life, Their Sin
Just thinking about this is enough to draw my face tight and clench my teeth together. This, for me, has by far been the most difficult part......especially when someone else’s trespass or sin has affected me in a negative way. I’ve been directly lied to, found my past girlfriend in bed with other men, been robbed, been beaten, and been falsely accused. I’ve even been reported to the police. Many of these trespass were by people whom I thought to be my friends. With all this, it is amazing I have people in my life I still call friend. On the other hand, I have been on the opposite side of all those situations (except reporting someone to the police). I have been the lover begging for forgiveness and I certainly have lied over and over again to my friends and family.

How I Handle It
I don’t dwell on the past, I don’t gossip about it, and I don’t throw it back in the person’s face. Following those three ‘don’t's' and you are on your way to achieving your goal of forgiving and forgetting. EPH 4:32 says.....Forgive each other....and when I think about it now as a Christian.....I conclude that I have NO right to withhold forgiveness from anyone. Men, like myself, beat and hung the Son of Men, Jesus, on a cross to die. Still, God forgave us. Jesus, after that ugly calcification, still forgave us. This is a perfect example of not only, “do as I say” but “do as I do”.
Furthermore, Jesus provided us with a bridge. A bridge which allows us to come back to God and repent our sins. Isa 1:18 says....“He will make us white as wool”. God chooses to forgive us of our sines and he chooses to no longer remember our stained past. I choose to do the same. In closing, I most proclaim to all those it concerns that.......In Jesus’ name, I forgive you......In Jesus’ name, I choose to no longer remember. Your debt with me is settled my friends, now please go make your peace with God.