The Fine Art Of Forgetting

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, Philippians 3:13

I'm not someone who lets go of things very easily. When I get something stuck in my head, it doesn't go away. I'm an obsessive personality. I'm sure more than a few of you are much the same. And forgetting things from the past does not come naturally to us. But it's a necessary part of spiritual growth. We cannot move forward until we let go of what we're holding onto from the past. It's kind've like the scene from the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (how d'ya like THAT reference, huh?!) where the woman is trying to reach back for the "Holy Grail" and hold onto Indy, too. She can't. And we cannot both reach forward AND cling to the past at the same time, either. We have to learn to forgive--both ourselves and others--and let go of the hurt and shame so that we can move forward. If we're dwelling on past betrayals, we'll miss our current blessings. If we're dwelling on past failures, we'll find ourselves mired there and repeating them. Forgetting is an art...one we must master.