God’s “Memory Lapse”

Our memory bank can churn up some bad stuff occasionally. There you are, not quite asleep, when suddenly a past sin pays a painful visit. The ugly details of bad decisions and actions can leave our spirit in a shambles. How should we handle this haunting problem?

     First, we need a visit with God, who knows just how to deal with our painful memories. He has a unique ability to forgive and forget, if we’re sincere in our request for reconciliation. As Micah 7:19 (NRSV) says, God “will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”

     Corrie ten Boom had the right idea. She said God buries our sins in the sea and puts a sign on the bank saying, “No fishing allowed!”

     After we accept God’s forgiveness, we must forgive ourselves and move on into the future God has for us.
Paul’s words to the Philippians are relevant for Christians struggling with past sins: “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14, NRSV).