Forgive and Forget?

by Rick Warren — March 23, 2025
From The Seven Greatest Words of Love

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28 (NIV)

You’ve heard this phrase over and over: “Forgive and forget.” There’s only one problem with it: You can’t do it. It’s impossible!

You really can’t forget a hurt in your life. In fact, there’s really no use in even trying to forget. Because when you try to forget, you end up focusing on the very thing you want to forget.

And the truth is, God doesn’t want you to forget. Instead, he wants you to trust him and see how he can bring good out of the hurt. That’s more important than forgetting. When you see God bring good out of a bad situation, you can thank him for that good work. You can’t thank God for things you forget.

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (NIV).

It doesn’t say that all things are good—because all things are not good. Disease is not good. A broken relationship is not good. War is not good. Abuse is not good.

There are a lot of things in life that are evil. Not everything that happens in this world is God’s will.

But God says he will work good out of the bad things in life if you will trust him. You can go to him and say, “God, I give you all the pieces of my life.”

He will take your pieces and instead give you peace in your heart. This peace will come when you realize you can forgive, even if you don’t understand the hurt in your life, because you know God will use that pain for good. 

You don’t have to forget the wrong thing someone did to you. You couldn’t forget even if you tried! But God says there’s no need to forget it. You just have to forgive and then see how God will bring good out of the hurt.

Talk It Over

  • Who have you not forgiven because you haven’t wanted to forget or let go of what they did to you?
  • What do you need to do today to forgive that person and move on? How does it help knowing God doesn’t expect you to forget?
  • How have you seen God bring good things out of difficult situations in your life?

Accept God’s forgiveness today.

God proved his love for you through his Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 CSB).

Are you ready to trust God to fulfill his promise of eternal life? If so, start by praying this simple prayer:

“Dear God, I don’t want my sin to separate me from you any longer. You have promised that if I believe in Jesus, you’ll forgive me for everything I’ve ever done wrong, you’ll show me the purpose of my life, and you’ll accept me into your family and bring me to heaven one day to live with you for eternity.

“Jesus, I confess my sin, and I believe you are my Savior. I trust you when you say salvation comes by grace, through faith, and not by anything I do. I ask you to come into my life as my Lord. Today, I commit my life to you.

“I want to live the way you created me to live—at peace and rested—and to use the remainder of my life to serve you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at [email protected] and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.

 

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.