Love and Forgiveness

How many times hv you hear the phase "Forgive and forget"? How many of us actually agreed to it?

Many will say - Nay... I can forgive but to forget is not easy and may be not at all.

"...Peter and said to him, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times? Jesus saith unto him, ...until seventy times seven." - Mat 18 v 21-22

A famous verse indeed... I guess everyone is familiar with this verse but have we given thoughts into them? OR do we just push it aside and concede that we'll try as much as possible - after all we're all human, God understands.... period.

If that is our attitude, no wonder we agreed to the saying "Forgive but cannot forget". Indeed! We're human and hv our weakness... in any case, it is a tall order. Who can forgive seventy times seven? And we're so sure that God will understand that we readily give up even before trying.

Few days ago, I took time to ponder on this verse and then I realized that IF we rely on our own strength and ability to achieve this, it is definitly a TALL order. While we consider our privilege as sons of God and/or we always rely on God... very often, our own actions betray us, yet we are unaware.

When we forgive another, we often think that it is we who is just or magnanimous... forgeting that it was expected of us. We're indebted to God more than what we've suffered from them who had wronged us.

This reminds me of the parable of the "Evil servant" in Mat 18 v 23-35

How then is it possible to "Forgive and forget"?

We say - "I do rely on God but still I cannot forget. I try not to think about it but often it came back when he/she is in my presence".

If that was how we felt then we're just lying to ourselves that we had rely on God. Our actions had betray us but it is good if now that we aware of it.

I believe we can actually "Forgive and forget" and/or to forgive seventy times seven. It became clear to me when I pondered on the verse, suddenly the following encouragement jumped at me and I'm enlighten.

"but I say unto you, love your enemies..." - Mat 5 v 44
"...being fervent in your love among yourselves; for love covereth a multitude of sins...." - 1 Pet 4 v 8-9

It is LOVE! that makes you FORGET!

If we forgive with love to them that had offended us, we'll gradually forget the wrongs that they did to us. This is when we truly needed to rely on God to love them that had wrong us. If we do this diligently then what is seventy times seven?

Hope my enlightenment on this "Seventy times Seven " will be an encouragement to you. Amen.