“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a
new thing! . . .” (Isaiah 43:18-19
NIV) This quote in a 2-inch square frame
on Matthew and Helen’s nightstand caught my attention. How apropos
for the start of the new year.
What do you forget? When
one gets to be my age, forgetfulness is quite a curse. I go into a room intending to do something or
to get something and as I get there, I forget what it was I went there
for. I would sometimes be in the middle
of saying something but then be stopped dead in my tracks because I can’t
remember the word I wanted to say. But
there is a forgetfulness I’ve always had.
I have never been good with numbers and so it has been difficult for me
to remember phone numbers, plate licenses or even my own social security
number. I have a hard time remembering
the ages of my two children though I was certainly present when they were born. We were celebrating Matthew’s birthday on the
wrong day until three years into his life I accidentally came across his birth
certificate in my files and found out my mistake! Then there is the little matter of my wedding
anniversary. For years, Don and I would
argue as to the date when we were married.
So, yes, I have a difficult time remembering some things but
there are things that are hard for me to forget. There is a certain fast foods place that I
have never gone to for the last 40+ years because I remember when they were
found out to have served horsemeat one year when beef prices went sky high. I could not forgive them and could not forget
what they’ve done. There are other
things that are hard for me to forget. Things
like hurt, pain, offenses either committed against me or those I have committed
on others. It is also hard to forget some of the little
successes I’ve had in life. I tend to
dwell on these, trying to affirm my self-worth to myself and getting pretty
close to taking credit for some things that I have been able to do not because
of my abilities but because of God’s grace and blessing. There are things that have to be remembered but
there are those that are best forgotten, or not dwelt upon.
Mulling over this quote from Isaiah, I decided to find out
more of the context in which it was said. Isaiah lived and prophesied to the
nation of Israel 700 years before Christ. In the first 40 chapters of his book
he wrote about what was coming upon the nation because of their rebellion
against God’s ways. But then Chapter 41
and onwards, he spoke of what their God would do for them when they turn back
to Him. In this quote he tells them not
to remember the pain and suffering that they would have to endure because their
God was going to do a new thing for them as He takes them out of Babylon. He would do a new thing!
Each new year for me is a gateway to new adventures. It is a blank page that waits to be written
on. My past year had some joys,
excitement, some sadness, losses of family and some close friends written on
it. But there were also some fresh
adventures – a part time job, meeting new friends, a month-long visit from my
sisters, and a lot of new things to learn.
I remember one particular year when I had a lot of pain and hurt and it
was difficult to move on with life. It
was only by God’s grace that I was able to put it behind me. At such a time, the ability to forget the
hurt was a real gift and the healing began.
How has 2013 been for you?
Have you had hurts, losses, pain, failures? Can we put them in the past? They belong to 2013. 2014 is a NEW year. This can be a year of something new.
