Here’s to the Short Memory!

“So, let’s now raise a toast to it,” said the master of ceremonies, at the grand annual function at Forgiveness Hall. All those assembled, endowed wonderfully to its truth, were keenly interested to celebrate this toast. They owe it so much, perhaps their very lives.

They’re toasting the ‘short memory,’ that attribute of character that quickly and absolutely forgets the wrongs that occur to us.

A Beaut Feast

Imagining this feast where the toast takes place we think of the merriment had and the strength of spiritual poise there in each person.

Each one presumably has their own story of stringent injustice piled atop learning opportunities by the dozen, and equally the resilient wisdom known only to a rare, comparative few. Boy oh boy; what a feast this one is! Not a harsh thought, word or deed. Complete safety is known... no wonder the guests end up reluctant to leave.

As dinner guest upon dinner guest walk to the podium to give their praises to this wholly faithful attribute of the godly character the place is a melting buzz. God, at last, is given his dues as the Source of this incredibly simple thing where ‘harm’ is an historic, almost forgotten appendage.

The evening reaches a crescendo as the master of ceremonies suggests to the huge throng, “Let’s make this a monthly event and let’s commence training and recruiting; this message is not just ours!” Everyone to a person chants their approval.

The Short Memory is Our Key

Even though a short memory in most forms of life is not a very desirable thing to brag about, as far as forgiveness is concerned, it’s terribly critical. It brings life, hope and freedom from caging fear.

If we have a short memory we are able to resist the interminable resentments that plague us to an inevitable anger. And anger is a condemning, hellish problem the world over.

It is too easy to nurture our resentments, rolling them around our mouths like gravel, we cycle through the tracks of our memories and are further polarised in our raging views—we’ve been wronged and someone’s got to pay; and it might as well be anyone. Shudder to think who might innocently get into our way.

The long memory in this context is an aberrant curse. There is no peace there. The short memory, erased moments after each attack or offense is encountered, however, is a cool blessing.

Like a tape or a disc that can be overwritten, we pray that our God would bless us with a good short memory.

And as soon as we do, we hear his gentle voice say simply,

“Start... for I AM with you.”

© 2010 S. J. Wickham.