Three old spinsters, one 92, another 94 and the third 96 years old, all lived together. One day the oldest sister drew a bath. She put one foot in the water, paused, then called downstairs to her sisters: "Am I getting in the tub or out of the tub?" The middle sister started up the stairs to help, then paused and called back downstairs: "Was I going up the stairs or coming down the stairs?" The youngest sister, who was sitting at the kitchen table having tea, said, "I guess I'll have to help. I hope I never get that forgetful!" She knocked wood on the table as she got up, then paused. "I'll come up as soon as I see who's at the door!"
We've all suffered from forgetfulness from time to time regardless of our age, but it seems that age worsens this problem. This funny little story reminds us all of our mortality and hopefully will bring a chuckle to your day. But along a much more serious vein this story of human vulnerability reminds me of the old adage, "To err is human, to forgive divine." And let me add another word or two to that phrase: "To forgive and then forget is divine" too, for that's exactly what God does with the sins He forgives - (Heb. 8:12).
And there's something else about God that's genuinely comforting as well, and it's the opposite virtue to forgetfulness - remembrance. Not only does God forget the sins He forgives, He also remembers all the good deeds we have performed and credits them to our account. The writer of the Book of Hebrews gives us this truth when he writes, "For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints." - (Heb. 6:10). So there you have it - God forgets what He forgives and remembers the loving deeds we do, even if it's just a drink of water given to a thirsty man - (Mt. 10:42). So, keep up your good work, for, indeed, someone is taking notice.
Lonnie Ritchie