MY FORGETTER WORKS FINE

"Doug, after the wedding rehearsal I'm playing for, I'll call you.  Let's meet at the shopping center parking lot and drive together to the dinner."

"Sounds good. If we dove-tail there, it saves you backtracking to the house to get me.  Then we'll just pick up my truck on the way home."

Good plan.  Several hours later after a delicious meal we pulled into our driveway.   Without a word spoken, we both gasped at the empty space where his red truck should be.  We forgot to stop and get it.  In fact, we drove right by it.  So we, well. . .we backtracked.

WE forgot.  Our forgetters work overtime these days.  Where'd I leave my keys, my purse, my coffee cup?

There's recent medical research explaining forgetfulness.  Turns out, doors themselves may be to blame for these strange memory lapses. Psychologists at the University of Notre Dame have discovered that passing through a doorway triggers what's known as an event boundary in the mind, separating one set of thoughts and memories from the next. Your brain files away the thoughts you had in the previous room and prepares a blank slate for the new locale.   It's not aging; it's the door!  Thank goodness for studies like this. (I didn't Snopes it and neither should you.)

God's forgetter works overtime too.  He has different reasons.

"He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west." (Psalm 103:12 NLT) 
 "For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." (Hebrews 8:12 ESV)

I find it amazing that God does that.  I also find it amazingly wonderful when it comes to my many sins.  At the same time, I seem to have selective memory when it comes to forgetting the sins of others.  I can recall details for years!  With all the forgiving grace He shows me, I still hear my own voice. . .


"You ALWAYS do that!"
"You NEVER change!"
"How many times have you done the same thing?"

Sometimes I recall the mistakes of others.  Sometimes I wag my accusing finger back at myself. How I wish my forgetter worked as well in this area!

A friend and I were talking about this recently.  Admitting our own tendencies toward remembering past offences, we concluded it comes when we feed our own mind negative thoughts.   I can choose to mull over my own past weaknesses or other people's failures.  That negative mindset spirals downward quickly.   "Maybe we need to hold each other accountable on this," I suggested.

If the God of the universe forgives AND forgets, so should we.  Oh, I know we can't literally erase memories at the whim.  But we can agree with Him that Jesus' blood paid the debt of sin and because of that, the Father sees us as pure, holy. . .covered in Christ's righteousness!  

Remembering the evil one is also called the Accuser helps me identify that voice, when I hear it in my own head or on my own lips!  I don't want to side with and agree with him!

Lord, help me to forget those things that are behind and remember where I parked my car!