We are leaving for Cuba tomorrow. I have packed almost every stitch of summer clothing I own into a suitcase (it just doesn't take up that much room, you know), eaten most of the food in the refrigerator, told the cats what is expected of them while we are gone (eat and sleep and try not to overfill the litter nor scratch the cat sitter), and picked out four books to savour while sitting in the sun or shade.For a week we will forget about the house issue, the mound of emails piling up at Dean's work, and where to place that pesky French pronoun "en." There are some things it is important to remember, but there are also things that one needs to forget.
On Wednesday night at home group one of the guys asked the question, "What are God's conditions for getting into heaven and how can you lose your salvation?" and then timed us as we answered. It was interesting to see how succinctly we could articulate the basics of redemption. Not surprisingly, each one had a slightly different answer. The one that struck me that night was the inclusion of forgiving others, for, it was said, if we do not forgive others, how can God forgive us? (see the Lord's prayer). I have been thinking about this for the past few days. Yes, I need to exercise more forgiveness in my life. I have way too sharp a memory in many cases. I see someone and remember the last thing they did that annoyed me or how they fell short of my expectations. And if someone has offended or disappointed me twice, tough luck, buddy, you are really imbedded in my memory as someone not trustworthy.
And this attitude has nothing to do with forgiveness. So much of my blather some days can be complaining to God about this world's shortcomings or my ongoing difficulty in loving and trusting and being positive. None of this dialogue really changes anything because I have not forgotten. I run these things over and over in my mind and don't let them die. Change requires leaving something behind to shrivel and die. Salvation requires forgetting.
Let me forget who I was and who others were and see who we are all becoming.
This is the beach in Cuba last year...someone scratched Cuba Blau 2007 in the sand, but I am sure that was washed away and forgotten within a few hours, except for some pictures.
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