You Can Forgive, But You Cannot Forget!

On Facebook, there are many sharings about being a good Christian, loving your family, friends, neighbors, and praying for people's well-being, even for miracles to occur to someone or some other. Good, honest intentions. 

But of course, there are hurts, even very deep hurts, wounds that are difficult to heal. If you are at the receiving end of the hurt, you cannot forgive. My wife says, "I can forgive. But I cannot forget!" (above image from Man Repeller, manrepeller.com)

There are people who claim to be able to forgive, or have forgiven others for whatever. I have only one question, which was the original title of this short essay: "When you forgive, do you forgive as God forgives?"

To help you answer the question, I am reproducing a whole little chapter of the book Chicken Soup For The Christian Family Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Aubery & Nancy Mitchell Autio, published by Health Communications Inc, Deerfield Beach, Florida, pages 352-353 – somewhat shortened:

No fishing allowed

A legend is told of a priest in a small Midwestern Parish who as a young man had committed what he felt was a terrible sin. Although he had asked God's forgiveness, all his life he carried around the burden of this sin.

He heard about an elderly woman in his congregation who had visions, when she would often have conversations with the Lord. One day the priest got up enough courage to visit this woman.

Toward the end of his visit, he set his cup down on the table and looked into the old woman's eyes.

"Is it true that sometimes you have visions?" he asked her. "Is it also true that, during these visions, you often speak with the Lord?"

"Yes."

"Well… the next time you have a vision and speak with the Lord, would you ask Him a question for me?"

"Yes, I would be happy to," she answered. "What do you want me to ask Him?"

"Well, would you please ask Him what sin it was that your priest committed as a young man?"

The woman agreed.

A few weeks passed, and the priest again went to visit this woman. After another cup of tea he timidly asked, "Have you had any visions lately? "Did you speak with the Lord?"

"Yes."

"Did you ask Him what sin I committed as a young man?"

"Yes," the woman replied. "I did."

The priest, nervous and afraid, hesitated a moment and then asked, "Well, what did the Lord say?"

The woman looked up into the face of her priest and replied gently, "The Lord told me He could not remember."

God not only forgives sins. He chooses to forget them. The Bible tells us He takes them and buries them in the deepest sea. And then as Corrie Ten Boom used to say, "He puts up a sign that says, 'No fishing allowed.'"

If God forgives us, can we do less?

Gigi Graham Tchividjian

The story should have ended thus:
"If God forgives & forgets, why can't we?"
Frank A Hilario@517