There is a product frequently advertised on television that comes from jellyfish that is supposed to improve your memory. As I get older with all that means, I am tempted to try it. But as important as being able to remember is, sometimes the power to forget is equally important. St. Paul wrote in one of his letters, "Forgetting those things that are past, I press on". There are at least three things it is good to forget. First, is past accomplishments. Out of success too often comes a complacency and contentment that lull the mind, erode the will, and diminish the desire to continue to strive and succeed. Someone said somewhere that there are artists who could be great who are content to be talented. We shouldn't dwell so much on what has been done as on what remains to be done. Second, we need to forget our hurts. St. Paul was beaten, tried, put in prison and more. If all he did was dwell on his bitterness, he would have accomplished little. In the same way, all of us are victims at times. But if all of our energy is focused on what has unfairly been done to us, we will never rise above them. Finally, we need to forget our failures. All of us make mistakes. All of us sometimes don't succeed even when we've worked hard and given something our best shot. We are understandably hurt and discouraged when that happens. But we must remember that defeat is not falling down; it is staying down. No one who say's "I'll try again" is ever a failure. In conclusion, we need to understand that God is always more concerned with today and tomorrow than yesterday. That needs to be true for us as well.
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