“Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” Philippians 3:13 NLT.
Forgetting is often where healing begins.
My thoughts and comments this New Year’s Eve are about “forgetfulness.”
A good memory is a good thing, if it is the good that you remember. Sometimes forgetfulness can be good. I seem to be doing that more frequently. Here’s the problem. Strangely enough, people seem to remember what they should forget and forget things they should remember. There are too many things that only bring worry or pain, stuff for which you have no answer or explanation. Those accumulate like so much trash, crowding out more profitable matters that encourage and edify.
Growing up, my chore was to take out the trash, and my Dad kept me reminded to do so. I needed his frequent reminding; “Son, have you taken out the trash?” The process began with gathering up all the stuff needing to be carried out, thrown away, and hauled away. Whether or not that was his intent, my Dad taught me a valuable lesson about everyday life. Life works better when you regularly remove the accumulated trash.
The Old Testament story of Joseph is a good example. His history held a lot of hurt, both interpersonal and intrapersonal. Some resulted from his lack of wisdom, but most of his pain was imposed upon him by others. To survive and keep his dreams, Joseph had to learn how to take out the trash from his unfair, painful past. Joseph forgave and forgot. Forgiveness without forgetting is not as freeing as God intends. In Egypt, two sons were born to Joseph. Read Genesis 41:51-52 NIV. His first son, he named Manasseh, meaning, “For God made me forget all my trouble.” Forgetting is where healing begins. His second son, he named Ephraim, meaning, “For God has made me fruitful in my suffering.” Remembering can be where celebrating begins. Go ahead. Forget some things; that can be a good thing. Remember the good things; that is an even better thing.
Each New Year’s Eve the world celebrates in their wish for things to be better in the New Year, somehow different than they were. But wishing will not make that so. Things once done cannot easily be undone, except by God. Your past can be a confining place where things hold you that you alone cannot change. Churches will also gather in homes or sanctuaries this New Year’s Eve, grateful to God that He takes away old sins and mistakes, and offers forgiveness and fresh beginnings in Christ. “If anyone is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation; old things are passed away, and all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5.17.
More than a New Year, you may need a new you. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you.” 1 Peter 1:3-4 NIV.
Regrets? Everyone has a few. Mistakes, mishaps, or misunderstandings may have colored your appraisal of the past, but in grace, God has given you the power of choice to greatly reshape a new year. “I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.” Philippians 3:13-14 NLT.
Today, my prayer for you is: let your estimation of the past be graced and anticipation unaffected.