A friend recently told me how much a certain incident involving another acquaintance had hurt her. What she didn’t remember is that she had already told me the same story three other times. Each time she told it she said; “Well, it’s alright. We’re past it now.” You think?

Clearly, she is not past it and it continues to bother her. She wishes she was past it and even pretends she is but it is as fresh as biscuits straight out of the oven. Sometimes I know I have uttered “Forget it!” for a slight done to me when the truth is that whether they will or not, I won’t really forget it for a good long while.

How do you get over things that you can’t seem to get over? God does it so beautifully. He says in Isaiah 43:25; “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.”

Maybe there is something to that phrase “for My own sake.” Maybe we should follow God’s example and forget transgressions against us for our own sake. God does not allow our sins against him any power — he does not let our sins control him. That’s real power and that’s real freedom.

So the next time you have a hard time letting something go, think about a new strategy. Determine for your own sake to forget it!