I have come to realize that I have a very good memory. It is not quite photographic, but probably very close to it. I am able to remember certain events very distinctly; from my feelings, to the looks on others’ faces, to the reactions from an event. Over the years this has been both a blessing and a curse to me.

Blessing?

In many ways it is a blessing to have a good memory. I never miss an appointment because I forgot about it. If I volunteer to bring something to an event, you can guarantee it will be there and on time. I also do really well remembering numbers; phone numbers, prices, birth dates.

Another area where having a good memory is beneficial is for winning arguments. It’s hard to argue your point with someone when they can remember exactly what you said or did to spark the disagreement in the first place. Of course the person has to believe that you truly did remember the facts, which is an issue from time to time.

Finally, the most beneficial area I have found for a good memory is with academics. I’ve been especially successful with test taking thanks to my ability to remember important facts. Being able to remember things that I read from a textbook or heard in class was also helpful for me to be successful in college.

Curse!

The downside to having a good memory is that you remember the bad things. As I mentioned, I am particularly good at remembering feelings. This means that if something happened where I felt ashamed or guilty or embarrassed I remember those feelings more vividly.

This is especially true when it comes to how I made other people feel. Even if it is by accident. If I think that I may have said or done anything to hurt another person, that moment will play over and over in my mind. While I know that there is nothing I can do about it, it still bothers me. Many times these feelings are just my own perceptions and not at all how anyone else sees them.

God’s Memory

God has the distinct ability of being able to “forget”. Yes, He knows all and He sees all and is everywhere. However, Psalm 103:12 talks about how God places our sins as far as the east is from the west. They are so far away they are out of view from each other.

When I am having those moments of doubt where I regret what I have said or done, I talk to God. I give him my thoughts and ask Him to place them as far as the east is from the west. Sure, I still remember what I said or did, but I know that I have given them over to God. I also ask Him for His guidance; praying that if I do need to ask someone for forgiveness for something, He will show me. I want to see the situation how He sees it.

I was listening to the radio the other day and the DJ gave a great description of what it means to magnify God. So often when we worship or praise we will say that we magnify Him. I had never thought about what that meant. He explained that we look at our situations and worry and stress when what we need to do is “zoom out” so that our focus is not on our little problems but on our big God. We are “magnifying” Him and making him bigger from our view.

So now when I am down because of how my memory works, I am going to do my best to magnify God and see the situation how He sees it.

Martina