Forgive or Forget

Ash Wednesday 2023

One of our most powerful qualities as humans is forgetting. It is our ability to forget that helps us get back on the horse when we fall, back on the bike when we crash, back into our job, life, church, and community when we fail, stumble, or make mistakes. We (hopefully) develop muscle memory around the failure, but we are able to create enough mental space from our previous mistakes to make another attempt. This can be a beautiful thing! Think of all the inventors, all the advocates, all the visionaries who struggled at the beginning. If they had not been able to forget the pain of those other failures where would they, or we, be?

Perhaps, then, this is not forgetting at all but forgiving. Forgiving ourselves and trusting that we can learn and do better next time.

The shadow side of this is of course forgetting you ever did anything wrong and proceeding to continue to come back and do the same hurtful and damaging thing over and over and over again.

Many of us have been there as well. On both sides of the equation.

Lent is an opportunity for us to move from forgetting to forgiving. From continuing to hurt ourselves and others, to learning and growing from our mistakes. From walking confidently in our own knowledge to walking humbly in the shadow of our God.

This Ash Wednesday we remind ourselves that we are nothing more than ashes and dust. As Deacon Natalie reminded us on Sunday, “Life is short, and we have little time to gladden the hearts of those who travel with us. So be swift to love and make haste to be kind.” I hope you take some time to forgive yourself and to seek to practice restoration, healing, and hope this Lent.