Today we have the last devotional of Shiann’s “Shack” series:
Forgiveness is not about forgetting, Mack; it’s about letting go of another man’s throat.
I don’t know about your brain, but mine doesn’t forget things I’d like it to while it forgets tons of things that I want to keep. I do suspect it to be the human condition, but it is not God’s condition. God has the ability to forget or remember at will. He forgets because he chooses to do so. He forgives our sins and then doesn’t see them anymore.
I don’t forget the sins I have committed or those others have used, intentionally or not, to hurt me. Forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation. Reconciliation is the fullness of the process, as discussed in a previous thought, but they are not the same. I repeat that for several reasons. When we tell someone to forgive and forget, we are telling him/her something that God does not command.
In the context of this quote, forgiveness is freeing a person into God’s hand. When I forgive, I allow God to pursue the other and allow my heart to be softened.
Forgiveness has a long list of “it is nots.” It is not reconciliation. It is not sweeping the wrong under the rug. It is not a discontinuation of consequences.
There are times that we need to walk away. We need to forget in the sense that we don’t allow things to hold power over us. We need to allow ourselves to forget enough to allow another the room to heal and grow. We need to forget by not using a truth as a weapon.
There are times when we need to remember; times when forgetting would compromise safety of ourselves and others. Remember so that we can learn and not make a similar mistake.
I hope you have the courage to forgive in the hard times. I hope you have the courage to allow reconciliation even when you don’t feel like it.
When you choose to forgive another, you love him well.
May you choose to love another well today.
Many Blessings,
Shiann
