“God has made me forget all my trouble.” Genesis 41:51 NIV
“Don’t drag the ‘there and then’ into the ‘here and now!'”
My thoughts today are about “forgiving, forgetting and fruitfulness.”
Problems. Trouble. They are inevitable. Everyone has those in common. No one wants them. No one enjoys them. And usually people are the source. It is amazing how much you will worry about troubles while they’re happening, and how long you will remember them after they’re past. Usually it’s the pain and hurtful emotions that you remember the longest, rather than the grace you experienced.
No trouble comes with greater pain than those from family and friends. You know the story of Joseph. He had more than his fair share of problems, a few he caused – like most of us – but many that were cruelly pushed into his life by others. His brothers sold him as a slave rather than kill him as planned. He was falsely accused of sexual assault only because he wouldn’t. He was thought to be lying and was imprisoned though innocent. A man whose life he saved enjoyed his good fortune, but forgot his promise to Joseph for two years. He spent many of his adult years separated from home and country. Genesis 40:15. But wait, there’s good news. In every situation, “the Lord was with Joseph.” Genesis 39:3-6.
I think Joseph felt the same kind of hurt and emotions that you and I would feel, until he made the choice you also have to make – the choice to forgive and forget (Ephesians 4:29-32 NIV). It is no easy one, but it is the only one that frees you from your self-created prison and pain of anger (Ephesians 4:26-27 NLT), bitterness (Hebrews 12:14-15 NIV), depression, resentfulness and hurtfulness toward others, and retaliation (Romans 12:14-21 NIV).
Joseph’s success in his spiritual journey from hurt to healing is revealed in the names he chose for his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim, born in Egypt. Manasseh’s name meant, “God has made me forget all my trouble and my father’s house.” Ephraim’s name meant, “God has caused me to be fruitful in my affliction.” See Genesis 41:51-52 NKJV. Every time he called those boys’ names, Joseph remembered the good, not the bad. You can see what God will do for you when you are willing to forget what others did to you.
Forgiveness, forgetfulness and fruitfulness! You and I are not capable of any of those apart from God’s grace. But know this, your fruitfulness in life – your home, your work, your friendships, your success – will never exceed your willingness to forgive and forget. Live free from the past. Philippians 3:13-14 NLT). The days ahead do not have to reflect the hurt and sorrow of your past. The choice is yours. Don’t drag the “there and then” into the “here and now!”
How can you do that when you feel so wronged and hurt? Just as Joseph, you take responsibility for your reactions. You cannot control or change what others do; you can and must control what you choose to do in response. Don’t stay a victim of other people’s choices. Give it all to God. Jesus has been there and done that; He can help you. Look at everything that has happened and see that God was with you when you felt no one else was. See Genesis 45:7-8/Romans 8:28-29.
My prayer for you today is: don’t carry today’s hurts or disappointments into a new day.