Fading Memory

People laugh when I say my memory is fine. Smiling, I say, “I can’t remember anything I’ve forgotten.” With a brilliant mind unlike any other, Jill Price lives a curse, having no ability to forget. She can’t selectively remember the good times and forget the pain of her past. The more we focus on faults, failures, and losses, the more we hurt ourselves. To forget, we need to focus on the positive events that brought us closer to the Lord. Then meditate upon the glorious future that God has planned for us.

Forget the past, because your history doesn’t define your future. “Look,” the Lord says, “I’m doing something new. It’s about to happen. Can’t you see it coming? — Isaiah 43:18–19

Ten Thoughts to Ponder

1. The harder I try to forget my mistakes, the more vividly I remember.
2. I learn the most when I can embrace the reward of the pain as well as the pleasure.
3. If it weren’t for our struggles, we wouldn’t have a story to tell.
4. The beginning of something new is a crucial turning point that deserves special attention—to be sure it is taking us in the direction God wants us to go.
5. I at least need to be smart enough to know when I don’t know.
6. I could explore the unknown if I knew where it was.
7. If I expect progress, I must overcome significant challenges.
8. With lofty goals and high expectations, we set ourselves up for disappointment and failure.
9. Without God’s guidance, being determined is destructive.
10. For those who choose the broad road to destruction, everything works together for bad, not good.

Questions for Further Thought

• What are some good things you can be really excited about?
• How can you avoid negative influences that drag you down?