Forgive and Forget

“I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.” Isaiah 43:25 (NLT)

Have you ever heard someone say, “I’ll forgive, but I’ll never forget”?

In reality, refusing to forget the hurt and resentment isn’t really forgiveness at all. God forgives us and completely forgets the offense.

I’m not saying that forgiveness requires you to forget the incident, but the process does involve forgetting (or letting go of) the pain. When you choose to walk out forgiveness, eventually the pain does go and the incident loses its ability to torment you.

I’m not pretending that forgiveness is easy, and in no way am I minimizing your pain. What happened to you may have been terribly unjust.However, I want you to be free. And so does God.

If you don’t forgive, a painful incident can torture you every day of your life. The pain associated with the incident can stay fresh for decades and can continue to affect your relationships and the people around you. You don’t want to live a lifetime trapped in bitterness and resentment because hanging on to these destructive feelings destroys your future.

Through forgiveness, you can rediscover joy and beauty in life.

Keep in mind—forgiveness doesn’t always involve restoring the relationship. Not all relationships are restorable. In abusive situations, you need to establish a new track record of trust before it’s safe to bring that person back into your world. This takes time, and sometimes it doesn’t happen.However, you can still forgive and set yourself free.

Begin the process of forgiveness today. Start with the decision to forgive, and then ask God to help you walk out this journey toward freedom that involves choosing to forget and let go.