I know exactly what you are thinking, “What possible joy can there be in forgetting?” You misplace your wallet or purse and cannot remember where you put it. What joy is there in that? You are in a hurry and need to leave right now, but there is one major problem—you forget where your car keys are. How can forgetting possibly be joyful?” I will admit that there are times when forgetting is not a good thing, but I feel safe in saying that for a whole lot of things in life, forgetting is a good thing.
Forgetting is good if you have even been in serious physical pain and you do not vividly remember how excruciating that pain actually was. Or that deep emotional heartache you experience and you no longer remember how devastating that experience actually was. Elbert Hubbard said it this way, “A retentive memory may be a good thing, but the ability to forget is the true token of greatness.” That is so true. The ability to forget painful or unpleasant experiences in your life is definitely a joyful moment.
The Holy Scriptures even tell you that there are certain things that are best left not remembered. In short, it commands you to actually forget certain things in your life. The apostle Paul sure had enough bad experiences in his life before and after accepting Christ that he did not need to dwell on; in fact, he needed to forget them. In Philippians 3:13 Paul spells it out and the Bible commands us to do likewise: “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.” What the Bible is saying is you have not arrived to that sanctified body yet, so in the mean time forget your sinful shortcomings and let your focus be on living Godly for Christ.
There is much joy in allowing yourself to forget about all the ways you have failed in your commitment to Christ. Confess it and then forget it. Let your joy come from the source of joy, Jesus, and forget about your sins. There really is no better way to live.
