FORGIVE AND FORGET; TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN

 It is almost household knowledge that everyone needs forgiveness; we all agree at least that we, as individuals, desire forgiveness when we have erred or caused offense.

 

Daily, people are becoming aware of the need to forgive those who offend them. Although, this does not ringtrue for all. Some of us have offenses we can let go and those we can’t. We grade our ability to forgive based on the gravity of the offense, and who the offender is.

 

It’s funny how it’s easy for many of us to forgive strangers, but we hold an eternal grudge with a relative or associate.

 

We go all, “Ah, I can never forgive her! My own sister did that to me!”

“How could my own spouse do that to me? I will never forget! I may forgive for the sake of the children, but forget? Never!"

 

Now, there's another group of people. These persons have gone past the point of learning about forgivenessat least. They have been taught that bitterness hinders their own progress, and are believers of a popular saying that goes, “Holding grudges against anyone is like giving the person poison while you are the one suffering from the effects and dying”. So, they forgive or at least ease the grudge or bitterness they feel towards the other person so they can progress with their lives.

 

Dear friends, I have come to help your mindset. Forgiving and forgeting are two sides of the same coin. You either forgive and forget the hurt or you don't forgive at all.

 

How can you say you have forgiven when you always recount the hurt with every slight provocation or reminder of the sad event? If this is you, then you are still yet to fulfill the other side of the coin; forgiveness is still not achieved.

 

If you do want to forgive, and indeed you should, then you must forget the wrong done. You must let the pain go. 

 

I have realized that the reason many of us find it hard to believe that God has forgiven us and will never remember our sins or faults anymore is because we count it impossible to forget when we forgive.

 

So, every other day we ask God to forgive us over the same thing we asked him to three years ago. With every misfortune in our lives, we trace it back to our mistakes, the same ones we had asked God to forgive.

 

God said; “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”

—Hebrews 8:12; KJV‬‬

And we know that God’s word is true. Because he said it, then it’s true. He has forgiven you and will NEVER remember your faults anymore.

 

 

Well, did you just say, “But that is God and not me?”

 

To be continued.

 

GO ACHIEVE 

Diariesofhopelive@gmail.com