Unlike the elephant…

His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is (His) faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22–23 NIV)

God is not an elephant, as the old saying goes, “An elephant never forgets” —whereas God, in His love for us, chooses to forget our sins when we are sorry and repent. God even describes Himself as the one who erases transgressions and “remembers your sins no more.”

It’s hard to imagine that God would purposely forget something, especially if we try to put ourselves in His place by imagining ourselves doing the same for those who have wronged us. We may say we’ve forgiven someone, but sometimes “We bury the hatchet but leave the handle sticking out.”

I know I’m certainly guilty of leaving the handle sticking out. I’ll forgive a friend, but then if we argue or I’m upset at them, I’ll bring up that thing they did in the past. Obviously, that’s not true forgiveness, and thankfully, that’s not how God is toward us.

No matter how much we deserve retribution, He sees past that and looks at our heart and our desire to do better. He sent us His only son, Jesus, who died on the cross, taking on the sins of the world. Through this great act of love, we are forgiven. He wipes our slates completely clean. True forgiveness doesn’t keep count. Unlike the elephant, God forgives and forgets. [1]

Forgive, forget. Bear with the faults of others as you would have them bear with yours. - Phillips Brooks

[1] Activated God Isn’t an Elephant