Amnesia
October 20, 2009
by Christa Hogan
Last night I was up at 3:30 am, which isn’t unusual for me since I’m the mom of a four-month-old. The middle of the night is my anxiety time, when I have trouble focusing my mind on the Lord’s promises and instead find myself worrying over things out of my control. Last night in particular, as I fed my little boy my mind wandered over a series of recent events that I felt I hadn’t handled as well as I could have or should have. I began to feel discouraged. Was I truly changed as a Christian? Why do I continue to struggle with things like pride and a quick temper? As quickly as the feeling came however the word “amnesia” popped into my mind. I pondered over that as I settled the baby down to sleep and climbed back into my own bed. The Lord began to bring scriptures to mind.
2 Corinthians 5:17
If anyone is in Christ he is a new creature. The old things have passed away; behold all things are become new.
Psalm 103:12
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Lamentations 3:22-24
It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness! The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore I will hope in Him.
Hallelujah! As the scriptures poured into my spirit I was still having trouble sleeping, but no longer from guilt or anxiety. It was all I could do not to jump out of bed and hop up and down.
Amnesia! God not only doesn’t hold our sins against us, when we repent, he no longer even remembers them.
They are forgotten as if they had never happened and each day is a fresh start. Our hope for change is in Him. He promises that we are becoming new even when we still feel gently used.
But there’s another side to this kind of spiritual amnesia. When God forgives us our sins, we are to forgive others. True freedom comes when we accept God’s forgiveness, forgive ourselves and extend the same forgiveness to those who’ve trespassed against us. It’s 360-degrees of forgiveness. The alternative is living under a burden of shame, guilt, resentment and anger. Today, I choose to accept and extend mercy. I choose amnesia!
“…my mind wandered over a series of recent events that I felt I hadn’t handled as well as I could have or should have. I began to feel discouraged. Was I truly changed as a Christian? Why do I continue to struggle with things like pride and a quick temper?”
Christa,
Glad to know I am not alone in these things!
What a powerful article.
I chose amnesia too!