Forgive and forget

We have all been
told that we should not hold grudges. But for many this seems easier said than
done. This saying
itself, in reverse, was first coined in English by Shakespeare in King Lear written between 1603 and 1606,
and published in 1608:

     “Pray you now, forget and forgive.”

Then used by Miguel
de Cervantes in El Ingenioso hidalgo don
Quixote de la Mancha, first published in Spanish also in the early 17th
century, (1605, 1615) and translated into English shortly thereafter (1612,
1620).     
“Let us forget and forgive
injuries.”

The roots of
this saying, however, come from the Bible. Forgiving is a command of Jesus found in Matthew
6:14:

“For if ye
forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”

It goes on to
tell us that God will not forgive those who are not forgiving of others.

A New Start

Sunrise, dawn on a new day

Throw the old ways as far as the East is from the West

Everyone deserves a new start. The beginning of a new year brings
new hopes and dreams. It also affords us the opportunity to begin again. The book of Genesis in the Bible is a book meaning new beginnings. The book is full of stories of common people like us who made mistakes and
started anew. The scripture affirms its own realism by reminding us that even
the choicest of God’s servants sometimes fail.