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“You don’t just need a good memory. Sometimes you need a good forgettery.”

A thought by Jentezen Franklin from his book, Love Like You've Never Been Hurt: Hope, Healing and the Power of an Open Heart (p. 8). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

And this is a very good thought for all of us.

Jentezen says, “To move forward, you have to let go of the past. You have to release what is behind you and reach for what is before you. If you will reach for a new day, God will begin, little by little, to release you from the past.”

He says, “Life is an adventure in forgiveness. It is all about releasing and reaching. Release the past and reach for the future. The only way to do this is to love like you’ve never been hurt. This means loving so intensely that it overrides all your natural instincts for bitterness and revenge.

“Have you ever noticed how a jeweler shows his best diamonds? He sets them against a black velvet backdrop. The contrast of the jewels against the dark background accentuates their luster.

“In the same way, God does His most stunning work where things seem hopeless. Wherever there is pain, suffering, and desperation, Jesus is there. There is no better place for the brilliance of Christ to shine.”

He then says, “I do not know what is going on in your life... But I do know this: The pain you feel today is the pain you can heal.”

He later says, “It has been said that family provides us with life’s greatest joys and at times life’s deepest sorrows. When I think about how hard it is to make the family work, the challenges that come and the complications involved, it is really something else. Family members know how to tick us off. They can get on our nerves. The people we love most are the ones who potentially, through offenses, can infect us if we do not react right. But I have learned that with challenges comes opportunity. And family also provides the greatest opportunity for us to learn how to love like we’ve never been hurt.”

I don’t know what you are going through, but I do know that you may need God’s help today.  And He wants to make a difference in your life.  He wants to heal your pain so you can love like you’ve never been hurt. Will you let Him?

Yes, yes

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