Lent 34 Forgetting

Ive always had a terrible memory.  I have probably told you this before but I forget  :)  My long term memory is very poor - to the extent that I can once went into a pub with some friends for lunch and said  '  Oh this is nice.  Why havent we been here before?'   At which point I was informed that we had been there before a year previously, we had sat over there in the corner, we had eaten something or other and had a conversation about such and such.  And even standing in the very same place I had no recall whatsoever about the previous visit.   Scary!

The good thing about having a bad memory is that you genuinely cant remember the bad stuff.  Its hard to hold a grudge when you cant remember who crossed you or about what!   I can remember some stuff from my childhood and various bits and pieces of things that were stressful - but by and large most of that stuff has vanished into the ether.  Along with all the good memories too.  Which is why Ive always tried to keep a diary and take lots of photos.  As a way of preserving things which most people keep in their heads.

It struck me today that God has a terrible memory. :)   He makes a big point of telling us repeatedly that when we come to Him He forgets our sins.  Erases them.  Puts them as far away from us as the East is from the West.   Remembers them no more.    And if He forgets all the bad stuff about us - then every time He looks at us all He remembers is the good stuff.   He genuinely only thinks about all the great things He has done in and through us.  The rest is forgotten.   When you forget something, with the best will in the world it is impossible for you to bring it to mind again.   You cant.  It has gone.    We have all sat and tried to remember someones name or the first line of a song or where we put something important.   But if you have forgotten you have forgotten.   God forgets all the time.   If you are living with Jesus and continually embracing His forgiveness then God does not remember the way you spoke yesterday or your bad attitude towards that traffic warden.  He genuinely can't remember that you stole something or were cruel or told lies or took drugs or raped someone or murdered someone or committed a terrible atrocity which destroyed the lives of thousands.    Hard to get your head round that isnt it?

Its almost possible to believe that He could forget that I kicked the cat........ but that He could forget the actions of the murderer, the rapist , the child killer, the terrorist ?

And the most amazing thing is that unlike me God must have to actively decide to forget.  Because if you are an eternal being then you are outside time and everything is happening now.  You have an overview of the whole of time - so to forget something as God you presumably have to make yourself selectively blind to parts of the timeline you can see quite clearly in front of you.   I have no idea how He does it.  But the fact that He tells us that He chooses to forget our sins speaks volumes about His immense love for us.   The blood Jesus spilled out for us at such enormous cost has covered all our sins and justified us before the Father.  The record has been wiped clean.  It never happened.  We are innocent. Clean.  Sinless.  He looks at us and sees Jesus.   Amazing

Father, today I am so thankful that you are a forgetful God.  Help me to understand more fully that you really do not remember my sins.  When you look at me you see me covered in the blood of Jesus, made holy by His sacrifice, with all my unrighteousness washed away.  Let me live in the joy and the freedom of Your forgiveness.  And help me to respond to others in the way You respond to me,  being quick to forgive and forget slow to anger and rich in love.  Amen.