Sometimes the pain we experience likes to stick around and haunt us. Maybe you know what I mean…memories, names, faces, and places associated with the hurt make the pain of that experience come rushing back like it’s just happened all over again?
I’ve been thinking about that kind of pain lately; how experiences of hurt, pain, and betrayal have shaped (and continue to shape) my life. The kind that you just can’t forget, no matter how much you try or want it to go away—even after you’ve forgiven parties involved.
Forgive and forget, right? Maybe not…
What if we aren’t supposed to forget our experiences that hurt us?
Don’t get me wrong. I am NOT saying that we should wallow in our pain and hurt like we’re sitting in our own pity party puddle.
What I AM saying is that maybe we are supposed to remember and try to make healthy choices to process it and look for the beauty God so willingly creates out of those seemingly irreparable situations. I mean, if all our painful experiences vanished from our memories after we’d forgiven, how are we ever supposed to see God’s Grace and Goodness moving in our lives? Perhaps we should try to take a step back, look at it from a different perspective, talk to a friend about it, talk to Jesus about it, try to embrace it…process it…feel it. Because even if it sucks (and it does suck), the grieving and processing brings healing and eventually helps us let go and move forward.
I don’t believe God would let us encounter such pain, agony, and hurt—the kind that we think we are never going to make it through—if He wasn’t going to use them. God doesn’t waste any situation or give up any opportunity to show us how He can turn our messes into something beautiful—something worth remembering. And we definitely shouldn’t forget that.
