ForgivenessMy personal devotions lately have been on the topic of "Forgiveness." Devotions is kind of a loose word for me. I will see something that sparks my interest and then I will research it to no end. I have always been interested in the concept of "Forgive and forget." I know that I have been forgiven and I don't struggle with that. But forgiving others. Sometimes that is just tough isn't it? Quick -- someone tell me where to find "Forgive and Forget" in the Scripture! Answer, it isn't there......Yes, we are certainly expected to forgive things and put them behind us. But only God is able to throw our sins into the "sea of forgetfulness." Our human minds can't quite wrap itself around the concept of forgetting. But, yet I can't quite get over the fact that "Forgive" and "Forget" are uniquely intertwined in a way that only our Spiritual minds can understand. There is such peace available to you when you can forgive someone and then lay that thing down and leave it behind. Am I confusing or what? In my Devo-research, I came across an interesting concept. The Aramaic word for "Forgive" means to "untie." I am working on a Sunday School lesson for my teens called 'Fit to be tied.' Too many of our kids (and me.....) hold onto this stuff, keep grudges, and let it eat them inside. But if we can just work through a few things or untie a few knots, we would be so much better. So after I have done all of this research-otion I had my big V-8 moment. You know where you finally get the big point and smack your head like the V-8 commercial? What is more useless than a knotted up rope? Finally, it occurred to me that the best way to keep a rope from getting tied up in knots is to tie it firmly, and properly, to something sturdy. Can you see my big object lesson here? So that's my big wisdom for today -- Forgive in Aramaic means "untie." Anyone got some knots you need to work out? I sure do! | 
