Spiritual and/or Moral Articles

Forgive and Forget

by Tenacious I

[Editor's Note: True forgiveness (divine forgiveness) means wiping the slate clean. It is wiped off completely and it is truly forgotten.]

We must forgive but Jesus does not ask us to forget. Instead, we are to be burdened with the memories and sacrifices we endure as part of the preparation of our souls and eventual acceptance into his Kingdom.

Jesus was a man of intense action. He was active in defending the innocence of others. He preached to turn the other cheek when we are attacked individually. He taught to forgive your enemies. He also was adamant about his ideas for punishment on those who “cause a child to sin.” He talks of how those who do evil to others should be dispatched (It would be better if they were never born). We are a nation of defenders founded on Christian ideals. Ours is not a perfect ideology and our methods may seem harsh at times. But it is worth noting that what America stands for and the sacrifices our nation has endured have mostly been noble and righteously intended.

Forgiveness must also be given to the human misgivings of the most well intended endeavors even at the high cost of innocent lives and brave soldiers. Millions have been rescued from tyranny and oppression at the hands of American soldiers and at the direction of American politicians. Many innocent lives have been lost in this plight as well. It is unfortunate but necessary that often times, the sacrifice of a few is the greater moral good to save the many.

In this perfect gift that our Lord has given us, life, we are burdened with the evils of this world in order to prepare our individual souls for eventual judgment. The consensus of human expectation of a perfect world seems to be complete peace and harmony where there is no violence and every individual is kind and fair to every other. There are no criminals and no one is poor or starves. In reality this is a Utopian conflict when one considers what our expectations of heaven are.

It is my belief that this precious gift of life that we are given is our journey to get to know our God, through the teachings of Jesus and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In this life we are to learn about suffering and sacrifice. We are to develop understanding and wisdom individually. We are to develop our very own relationship with God in preparation of our acceptance into heaven. It is a very short life. Maybe it is even a test. By design we are not to know for certain why tragedy, suffering and sacrifice are a necessary part of our journey. But I have faith that God’s plan for us is perfect in that it provides us with all the tools necessary to complete the journey of life in his image.

In short, forgiveness is one of the most difficult Christian attributes to develop as the cause of suffering is not to be defined by anything other than happenstance, evil and free will. Faith is our guide. Strength is our tool. Vigilance for the good of our fellow man is our aim.

See Also:

The Seven Simple Ways To Forgiving
Forgiveness is, basically, about letting go. Releasing the wrong done to you, or by you. This is really a quite uncomplicated principle, but typically extremely tough to achieve. Forgiveness is often a decision.

Calvary covers it all
Rom. 8:28 is God’s own All-Purpose Vitamin for us. Let us be sure to have it in our kit, and use it often there is no fear of overdose.

Sin and its Confession
Nature teaches that it is the duty of erring children to make a confession to their earthly father, and the grace of God in the heart teaches us that we, as Christians, owe the same duty to our heavenly father.