What Should We Remember? What Should We Forget?

Description

Memory is a tricky tool. It can be both a gift and a responsibility. It is fascinating, a little bit difficult, yet worth our attention. Some things we should remember. Some things we should forget. I think of my father often. He was loving, steady, deeply committed to his family and faith. Like any of us, he had moments where he lost his footing. Those moments were real, but they were never the center of who he was. If I hold onto them too tightly, I begin to misremember him.

From a Swedenborgian perspective, this is the movement from outer memory to inner memory. The outer memory holds details that fade over time. The inner memory keeps what is essential. It holds the truth of a person. It holds love. I have come to see that forgetfulness actually gets us, in this weird way, to truthfulness. The Lord gently quiets what does not matter so something deeper can remain. In this way, we “re-member,” putting a person back together as they truly are.

So I offer a simple invitation. Notice what you are holding onto. Ask if it belongs at the center. There may be something ready to be forgiven or released. When we allow that shift, we step into grace, gratitude, and compassion. We begin to see more clearly. And we may even glimpse the promise that “the former things have passed away.”

(Heaven and Hell 461–469; Arcana Coelestia 2469, 5212; Apocalypse Revealed 875)