I remember well the day I came into the New York aiort from a trip overseas. I faced the baggage checkers knowing I had lost the key to my suitcase. Just ahead of me they had allowed some people to pass on through but as I followed them a very stern looking clerk ordered me to get back in line. They were going to search my suitcase. It was a very tense moment.
Such experiences sharpen our wits and keep us from making the same blunders over and over again. Memories take us across the lines of discouragement or grief and remind us of the joyful, pleasant and productive experiences that have shaped our lives. Memories are the glue that holds the past and the present in prospective. One needs the other to appreciate progress and reflect on what was and what might have been. They bring joy and laughter or tears and regret.
Our memories are fixed. We can never really forget anything. All that we have ever read, studied, seen or heard is stored in our memory and kept on hold to be flashed on the screen of remembrance at the appropriate time. It is amazing how we sometimes say, I forgot, only to say, oh yes, I remember it now. If we had no memory our lives would be impossible.
Our God has a memory too. He loves everyone and will never forget those who love him. They are always on his mind. However, there are some things that even God can’t remember. Did you know that Jesus died on the cross so his Father could forget? God could not forgive or forget our sin if it were not for the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because he died, our confessed sins can find no place in God’s memory. 1 John 1:9 says, If we confess…He forgives… Hebrews 8:12 says, “…I will remember their sins no more.”
The key to my suitcase has never been found. The key to salvation has never been lost. It is called Faith in the risen Christ. There is relief from the stress of remembering sins that we would like to forget. Put your trust in the Savior and his power to forgive and forget.
Embarrassment was avoided that day at the airport when the baggage inspector believed my declaration. The release of tension never felt so good.
I wonder where that key is.
Christian love,
Carolyn Young