Forgiven and Forgotten

1 Corinthians 6:11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Did anyone ever tell you about something a teenage kid was caught doing, and you think to yourself “Oh my gosh! How awful!” or, “How could this kid be so irresponsible?” or “This is so unlike him or her!” Then you think, “How will the parents deal with this blatant show of disrespect?” If you’re like me, and have no children, you may think to yourself “I am so glad I don’t have kids.”

I recently experienced such an incident. My thoughts went on and on then, Bam -- something in the memory banks sparked to life and came out, front and center. In horror, I remembered an incident from my own youth; shame and remorse came flooding back and I felt it just the same as I did back then. My conscience said, “Hey, remember when…”

Oh yea, I remember; I remember that one. I am guilty of an offense similar to what this kid did. Actually, I did a lot of rebellious things during my teenage years, mostly to get attention and be hip among the cool kids. The reason I was able to bury the incident in the back part of my mind is because God forgave me for it when He cleared the slate; that moment when I confessed to Him that I am a sinner and asked forgiveness for every wrong I had ever done.

After I digested all of this, I knew for sure that God did indeed forgive me for that mistake and every other sin as well because they no longer haunt me day after day. I was able to forgive myself because He forgave me.

Scriptures:

Ephesians 1:7-8 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

Isaiah 53:9 He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.