Forgiveness even though you’ll never forget

The Bible says that when God forgives us, He throws our sins into the Sea of Forgetfulness."He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. He will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:19
​
"I may forgive, but I'll never forget..."
​A saying that I've definitely thought about many times throughout my own personal healing journey... a saying with so much truth in just a few words, but also a saying with such a profound meaning.

Unlike God, we can't just throw things into a Sea of Forgetfulness...
Unfortunately we don't have the ability to forget the things that have happened to us or the things that we have done unto others. However, as believers, we still need to and do have an obligation to forgive. Forgiveness of others, as well as forgiveness of self, as it truly does go both ways!

Now before we get into today's post, please know that forgiveness does not mean allowing people to run over you. It does not mean that you have to put up with any and everything. In fact, I'd highly advise against that (speaking from personal experience). But, what it does mean is that you've made a conscious decision to release any anger, resentment, bitterness, or need to "get back" at the person who caused you pain. It means, "I'm choosing to move past the offense, not hold it against you, and move forward in love regardless of if you remain a part of my life or not." 

In other words, I can and I will forgive you. I'll never forget, but I won't allow the offense nor the pain of it to take root and decay away at MY mental state, happiness or life. You are forgiven.

Another part of this is creating healthy boundaries. I could talk all day about this as it's something that I've been actively working on throughout my own healing journey, but nonetheless, boundaries are very necessary - regardless of if the individual(s) who caused some type of pain is still active in your life or not.

Forgetting

Fully believing that God designed mankind and made no mistake,  I often wonder why He didn't give us the ability to forget... but I'm certain that there's a high likelihood that our inability to forget is absolutely and without a shadow of a doubt intentional in the sight of God.

Maybe it's because without the ability to remember the things that have caused us pain, there would be no one with a testimony - no stories of how God brought people from "rags to riches" lol ... because, I mean... we do love a good story right!?

Without our ability to remember, we would in fact also forfeit memories of our happy moments, blessed moments, and moments of living in abundance...

God clearly wants us to remember for a reason, and maybe part of that is because He wants us to always remember how He brought us through. He wants us to remember that our storms will never last forever. That He'll always rescue us... always come to our aid.

Dear friends, maybe He wants us to remember, and always know that if He did it once, He'll do it again... and in knowing this, the memories of our past, can in some way, remind us of how He's brought us through... knowing always that His goodness, grace, and mercy will always serve us well!

​It is He who lifts us up from our darkest moments... it is He who is with us in our deepest valley... He who is with us when no one else is.

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:12-13

Freedom: Forgiving the Unforgettable

​So dear friends, I leave you with this...

​Forgive those who have caused you tremendous pain. Forgive yourself for the things that you've done against others AND the things that you've done against your own self.
​We all fall short of God's glory. We're all sinners... and who are we to hold things against anyone else when we sin against God daily. We cause Him grief, daily.

​Forgive.

There's so much freedom in forgiveness and might I add, many great blessings on the other side of it.

Free yourself from the chains of bitterness, anger and resentment. Release it to God, move forward in love, and watch how God begins to show up in your life! 

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:14-15


Be encouraged.

All my love,
Amari E.