Forgiveness: Are we Also to Forget?

Vino wrote: I've been reading a book by Met Anthony Bloom 'Living Prayer'. In one chapter he talks about the Lord's Prayer and draws a parallel between the prayer and the Exodus of the Israelites. He parallels the crossing of the red sea to \"forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us'. He said, (all paraphrased) - freeing them from Egypt was the easy part. But then, they had to learn to be free men. After 400 years of slavery, the way they thought and behaved had become like slaves. To be free, you have to be cut off from the past. Thus the necessity to forgive. Only God can help you forgive, but if you can't forgive, and you'll be slaughtered by the returning egyptians. Once you forgive - you find yourself in the scorching desert. Welcome to the land of the Free Man. No one's going to feed you. No one is going to provide you with shelter and clothing. You are totally dependent on God. All security is gone. But this is true freedom. This meant a lot to me. Because I used to think I could sit and celebrate that God had helped me forgive. But I see, that forgiving is the easy part. Learning to rely on God to take care of me, is so extremely hard. And I better learn quick, because the desert is merciless! As for forgetting... the reason we can't forget is because of the pain that was caused. The pain is real. As long as the wounds are there, we'll feel the pain. But God promises healing. Do we truly want Him to heal us of such pain, or do we find some kind of comfort in nursing those pains? I find that I like to hold on to my pains. But, as long as I have broken bones and bruises all over me, I'll never be fully free. I'll be at the mercy of whoever wishes to take care of me. And the smallest bumps and trips and falls, will burst my wounds open and I\"ll be in an incredible amount of pain again. Pain is debilitating. You cannot function as a normal human being, when you are in pain. Pain also takes time to heal. Forgiving a person, does not heal the pain. Walking in the desert, following God, drinking and eating what He provides you with, that's what heals the pain. As your wounds heal, so will your relationships with those who wounded you. I haven't yet experienced the completing healing of a relationship, so I can't say from experience, if your relationship will be equal to what it was before. But, with God, all things are possible. Only my pride stands in the way, not wanting my relationships to heal to their prior state, or to an even better state! Another point - relationships are always risky. For the simple reason that people are still full of imperfections. When I befriend someone, I'm making myself open to being wounded. And anyone who befriends me, is also laying themselves open to be wounded. Unless, the relationships are superficial... The deeper you get, the greater the potential pain, and the greater the rewards. Thankfully, such deep relationships are not possible with more than one or two people! Or maybe they are. I do not know. I just know that it'll take a lot out of me to grow such a friendship. Forgive me. I've no idea if I've stayed on topic. And since posting on your last thread, I've been given the grace to experience back pain. I should really get off this chair again, before I freeze to it in pain. =) In Christ, Vino.