Have you ever looked in the mirror and were disappointed with the person looking back at you? If this has never happened to you, it could be because you have a short memory. We get down on ourselves when we believe we do not measure up to our own standards, when we fail to do what we had planned, when we compulsively repeat old habits we thought we had left behind, or when our dreams are not fulfilled.
At such times the “if only’s” of of our yesterdays begin to invade the “what if’s” of our current experience and robs us of our joy. “If only I had done things differently … if only I had used more wisdom … if only I had been stronger … if … if … if” becomes a monotonous dirge of self-incrimination.
Because we have the ability to remember things we said or did in the past, we have an inordinate capacity for self-scrutiny. The memory of past failures, the things we did that we should not have done, and the things we did not do that we should have done, rush to the forefront of our consciousness. Discouragement and depression set in.
Our conscious self shakes an accusing finger in our face. Self-condemnation takes over, and self-esteem goes quickly down the drain. It is at such times that we become vulnerable and are far more likely to say and do things that we never thought possible. We find it easy to treat others harshly, even good friends, because we have developed a low image of ourselves. It is extremely difficult to get up for life when we are down on ourselves. What would it take in times of self-condemnation to develop a new picture of ourselves as loved and lovable, as forgiven and forgiving?
Henri Bergson said in one of his books that it is the function of the brain to not only remember but also to forget. That being true, why do we easily forget so many things we want to remember, and remember so many things we need to forget? Why does one failure stick in our memory when many of our achievements are forgotten? Some people spend lots of money attending courses in an attempt to improve their memory, but I have never heard of anyone attending a course that teaches you how to forget.
Can a person develop the ability to forget what should be forgotten? The answer is “Yes.” God’s Word says that the best way a healthy forgetter can be developed is by the power of forgiveness. The damage caused by the memory of our failures can only be erased by learning how to accept God’s forgiveness and to forgive ourselves. We see this supremely demonstrated in the encounter by Jesus with a woman who was caught in adultery (John 7:53 – 8:11).
Put yourself in this scene: Jesus is teaching in the precincts of the temple when His teaching is interrupted by the jeers and frenzied cries of an approaching crowd led by scribes and pharisees dragging an unresisting woman. The Old Testament law (Leviticus 20:10) declared that a person caught in adultery should be stoned to death.
The hypocritical scribes and pharisees pushed the woman down before Jesus. They asked Jesus to affirm the Law’s verdict. The self-righteousness of the woman’s accusers and her embarrassment are evident in this scene. Would Jesus forgive her? The answer is in the affirmative. She did not go away saying, “What if I had not done what I did?” She did not blame herself any more by saying, “If only I had been strong enough to resist temptation.”
She went away totally cleansed and forgiven. How could she do that? She had learned that the forgiveness given to her by Jesus is like the perfume a trampled flower casts upon the heel that crushed it.
The Paper Pulpit 
Leave a Reply