Forgive - Forget? CAN WE?

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” 

Rom.8:28 

“Forgive and forget.” A nice quip to state to someone, but its about like the interchange between Job and his friends, the words seem empty and impossible to those who are on the side of having to be the one to do it.  Its like a scar, you heal, move on, you forgive, but the scar always reminds you that you really can’t forget a hurt in your life. The very fact that you’re trying to forget, shows that you are actually focusing on the very thing you want to forget. You can't forget what is a giant chug hole in the road of your life and pretend it doesn't exist. You can leave it behind, but you can't ignore the damage it causes either. Rather, God wants you to trust him and see His glory in it. When you can thank God for the good that He brings out of something, then your hurt is replaced with relief and even though the scar remains it reminds you of what God did for you - not the pain. 

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom.8:28)

Please notice that this doesn’t say that all things are good, because simply put, all things are not good. There are a lot of things in life that are bad, evil, and unpleasant. AND - Not everything that happens in this world is "God’s will." Sometimes things happen to us because Satan deliberately wants to cause turmoil in our lives to try to get us to deny God.  What God does say in Rom.8:28 is that He will work good out of the bad things in life if you will trust him. When you give Him all the pieces of your life, He will return peace for your pieces. He gives you peace in your heart that comes from knowing that even if you don’t understand the hurt in your life, you can still forgive. And you know more than this, that God is with you and will work out good from it.  

You don’t have to forget the wrong thing that someone did to you. You just have to forgive and then see God work. 

How have you allowed God to work good in your life from difficult situations?

Jim