Not enough Christians speak the truth about ‘forgiving is not forgetting’. For Bible believing people to say something like ‘forgive and forget’, that forgiving is forgetting, when that’s not in the Bible, as if it was what God would ever expect from people,is simply illogical and thoughtless. It’ s also anti-intellectual. “His burdens are not grievous.” Once we know where the ‘false heavy loads have come from’, we can throw them off like so much unwanted religious baggage. I remember something very sensible and true, someone shared with me many years ago. Father Bob M. said,” Forgive and forget? No! Forgive and remember. And get healed.” I can almost hear the false teachers of the of the law yelling ‘bitter!’ But we who have walked through the valley of the shadow of death,, and come out the other side of healing through forgiveness. We are not bitter. We are better. Thanks be to God!
I’ve been reading your blog for some time and want you to know how refreshing it is and how it speaks to my heart and past. I graduated from BJU in “73 but the only thing that stuck in my mind and heart for years was the verbal abuse I suffered from the Dean of Education when I entered his office about certification in Michigan. He got furious with me and said, “I had no business being an education major because of a small speech problem.” I never got over it for years when he kicked me out of his office and it kept me from teaching for years. Luckily with God’s grace I have had a career as a classroom teacher for the past 20 years but it should have been much earlier if it hadn’t been for him and his abusive intimidation. I’ve debated writing on your blog because of all lifers I know at BJU since I now live in your area and attend MRPC but… it is time. Thank you for your insight and candid writing based on experience and God’s Word.
Nice to meet you, Ron. I’m so sorry to hear about that really, really unnecessary and unkind slap-in-the-face. I’ve heard stories like that from others, so . . . well, you’re not alone. It’s a pattern for them.
Not enough Christians speak the truth about ‘forgiving is not forgetting’. For Bible believing people to say something like ‘forgive and forget’, that forgiving is forgetting, when that’s not in the Bible, as if it was what God would ever expect from people,is simply illogical and thoughtless. It’ s also anti-intellectual. “His burdens are not grievous.” Once we know where the ‘false heavy loads have come from’, we can throw them off like so much unwanted religious baggage. I remember something very sensible and true, someone shared with me many years ago. Father Bob M. said,” Forgive and forget? No! Forgive and remember. And get healed.” I can almost hear the false teachers of the of the law yelling ‘bitter!’ But we who have walked through the valley of the shadow of death,, and come out the other side of healing through forgiveness. We are not bitter. We are better. Thanks be to God!
I’ve been reading your blog for some time and want you to know how refreshing it is and how it speaks to my heart and past. I graduated from BJU in “73 but the only thing that stuck in my mind and heart for years was the verbal abuse I suffered from the Dean of Education when I entered his office about certification in Michigan. He got furious with me and said, “I had no business being an education major because of a small speech problem.” I never got over it for years when he kicked me out of his office and it kept me from teaching for years. Luckily with God’s grace I have had a career as a classroom teacher for the past 20 years but it should have been much earlier if it hadn’t been for him and his abusive intimidation. I’ve debated writing on your blog because of all lifers I know at BJU since I now live in your area and attend MRPC but… it is time. Thank you for your insight and candid writing based on experience and God’s Word.
Nice to meet you, Ron. I’m so sorry to hear about that really, really unnecessary and unkind slap-in-the-face. I’ve heard stories like that from others, so . . . well, you’re not alone. It’s a pattern for them.
God bless.