Return to Sender
We probably all know someone who likes to collect as much “dirt” on you as they can so they can sling it in your face later. They hope that by bringing up the past, which includes your mistakes, that they can knock you off your game, making themselves feel more superior. A friend recently posted a picture of a sign that read, “Trying to hurt me by bringing up my past is like trying to rob my old house. I don’t live there anymore!”
God’s forgiveness is one the many promises we can rely on in His word. When we bring our sin and our failures to His feet, the bible tells us in Psalm 103:10-12 “He does not treat us as our sins deserve, or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” I think we all understand that the mention of “east to west” refers to forever, but with a little digging (www.gotquestions.org) I read something quite remarkable, something I wouldn’t have considered. God never says or does anything that doesn’t have purpose, so why didn’t He say He forgives from north to south? The commentator described it this way: The earth has a north pole and a south pole. When you head north, you reach the north pole. The only option then is to head south. If you travel east, you will never reach west; you just keep trucking east!
In our tiny, finite brains, we can’t fathom forgiveness to infinity and beyond. When we forgive someone, we still have earthly emotions that will try to remind of us of the hurts we’ve endured. But God doesn’t just “forget” our transgressions, like I forgot a phone number…that would imply He has memory loss, which would imply He’s imperfect. Isaiah 43:25 “I, I am He, who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” God has a need to forgive us, it was His covenant promise to the Israelites. It wasn’t because they were worthy of His grace, but because of His grace that they were worthy of His forgiveness.
If God can “forget” our sin, then so should we. There’s no need to keep reliving it or let others relive it for us. The next time someone tries to shame you by bringing up your past, just stamp it out “return to sender,” because you don’t live there anymore!