Forgiving and Forgetting

All my life I have heard the old saying, "You just got to forgive and forget". As a child it never occurred to me exactly what that meant, but as an adult I have had all to much experience with it. I would love to know who came up with that idea. I mean it has got to be one of the most impossible things in the world to do. I find the forgiving part is not so hard. Sometimes people do things and they do not even realize that they have hurt you. You can not expect someone to understand why you are upset when they don't even know what they have done.At other times though, people set out to hurt you intentionally, or in the south we would say, "They did that on purpose!".  Those are the times when you have to decide who is going to be the bigger person and do the forgiving. I find that if you don't forgive and just continue to let it bother you, it will only end up hurting you in the end.  I know a lady, she is one of those people who have let everything in life bother her, one of those who will just never forgive . She is one of the most bitter people I have ever meet. She just gives off such a negative vibe all the time and never has a kind word to say about anybody or anything. I really believe if she would just forgive all the nonsense she is hanging on to, she would be a better human being.

That being said, let's move on the hard part, the forgetting.  I find this the most difficult thing to do. Every time I see the person that has hurt me/done something to me, I always remember what they did.  It is just the first thing that pops in my head. This applies to those who hurt on purpose mostly, but even some who hurt with words not meaning too. There have been lots who have hurt me in many different ways and when I see them it is like I automatically think of what they did. I guess the human brain tends to draw out the bad. Why? Maybe because that bad  was something so hurtful to us.

I was talking with my husband about this the other day and he just brought up about Jesus on the cross and what his words were about those crucifying him.  In Luke 23:24a it says, "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." . My response was," Yea, but Jesus was a perfect man and I am no where near a perfect woman.".   As a Christian I know that I am to be like Jesus in all my doings. I am to ask myself in each situation what would my Lord do at this time. I strive to do better and try to think of good times I have had with those who hurt me, but it is not easy. The devil uses all our "memories" against us so we can never move forward in our lives and our Christian service. I pray the Lord makes me more like him in this area and all areas of my life. 

"That's my 'two cents worth', what's yours?"