Where the heck are my Keys?

When I hear the phrase forgive and forget, I usually feel an array of emotions ranging from hope to helplessness.

Although I believe that I have the power to choose which thoughts can linger in my mind and which thoughts get the boot, unlike many of you, I happen to have a really good memory.

Don't get me wrong, I love to forgive others and free myself from the burden that often accompanies a grudge, but that doesn't mean that I don't remember the offense.

Last week, during my daily reading out of the book of Proverbs from the Bible, I ran across this quote,

"A man's wisdom gives him patience;

it is to his glory to overlook an offense."

What a perspective! Not only to forget and offense, but to overlook it altogether.

As always, I turned to my greatest teacher {my 2 year old son} and observed his behavior for a while. I make him mad countless times every day!

• I don't give him his milk before his meal, even if he asks politely.
• I don't let him watch the Elmo video over and over again.
• I make him take a nap even when he says "no, thank you, I wanna play."

Yet, he still loves me more than anything in this world. And he doesn't just love me; those little offenses don't even cross his mind. They are forgotten as soon as they are done.

I have determined that to be as happy and carefree as my child, I must steal some of his techniques. To help myself get started, I've decided to re-distribute my brain cells: I'm taking from the 'remembering past hurts' department and transferring to the 'remember where you put your cell phone' department.

I don't know about you, but I am constantly losing my keys and my cell phone!!!

Try it with me! Let's remember things that matter and, not just forget, but completely overlook things that don't. Let's not allow offenses to even occupy one cell in our brains.

Next time you feel yourself registering a hurt or remembering an old issue, STOP and ask yourself,

"Where the heck are my keys?"

xoxo