I used to say this often in my former way of thinking when I would travel on a religious high horse: “I forgive ________, but I will not / cannot forget!” And I remember clearly the night…the precise and painful moment…that God “knocked me off” my metaphorical religious high horse. ((Ouch…and ouch.))
Yet God says, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; And I will not remember your sins.” ~Isaiah 43:25
Who are we to say…how DARE we say…that we will not forget the transgressions (revolt) of another when God does that for those of us who belong to Him??
This is not relenting to a state of perpetual amnesia. God doesn’t have amnesia because He is omniscient. How does He do it? What example do we follow?
To “remember no more” is to make the conscious decision NOT “to mark (so as to be recognized)…to mention…be mindful, recount, record…bring (call, come, keep, put) to (in) remembrance.”
Partial forgiveness is not true forgiveness. True forgiveness must involve the not remembering part…not entertaining or giving quarter to that offense/sin/trespass…not mentioning it…not counting it or keeping record.
How long or how many times must we do this not remembering stuff to truly forgive? As long as it takes and as many times until it sticks.
70 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7…((Matthew 18:21-35))
You see, we are not omnipotent like God…His true and full and eternal forgiveness sticks and stays the first time. We have to practice until it is permanent and forgiveness becomes more powerful in our lives than our flesh.
Let’s do some work today.
Learning and growing with you ~ Tammy Sinclair