While misery may like company, I and a group of my closest friends share another common malady, the ability to forget what we were saying in a split second (or less). Perhaps you know what I'm talking about.
Here's an example: (to self) "Once Friend X is finished her sentence I am going to tell her about an upcoming event." Friend X completes her statement. I tell her, "Hey, I wanted to tell you about….." That's when an extended pause kicks in. "Yeess," she questions. In what has become a routine response, unplanned words creep out, "Sorry, I can't remember what I was going to say."
My source of consolation? I'm far from alone! Be it the result of information overload or normal aging, the ability to forget has become a standard part of nearly every conversation. Fortunately I usually remember within seconds or, at most, a few minutes.
In a wry twist, there are things I'd love to forget but so often they pop unbidden into my mind, mostly in the early hours of the morning; words I'd give anything to take back. Unwise decisions. Self-condemnation or unjust criticism coming to or going from myself. For too many years I allowed these "unforgettable" things to rob me of peace.
"For I will be merciful and gracious toward their sins and I will remember their deeds of unrighteousness no more." Hebrews 8:12 (Amplified)
"Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you." (Isaiah 49:15 NKJV)
Friend X and I continue to forget, and laugh at our common affliction, but I'm grateful for a God who forgets my sin but always remembers His mercy. In fact, I revel in the love of One whose memory is gloriously selective. Â
