P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney

What have you forgotten recently? Where you left your keys? What time your class starts? Perhaps your son's phone number, or to return a missed call from last week. I forget stuff all the time. Usually it's something relatively insignificant, like leaving the light on in my room or not wearing boots instead of tennis shoes when there's half a foot of snow on the ground. Sometimes it can affect other people. When I was younger I used to come home and forget to take my shoes off, tracking dirt all over the house which Mom would then have to clean up. It can cause problems as well, such as neglecting to call a girlfriend or fixing a meal that your guest is allergic to.

Isn't it strange how easy it is to forget things, yet we remember so much that we don't want to?

The last few days have been rough for me, but not so much due to the current state of things around me. I've struggled with bad memories. Although some of the problems I've had recently are ones that I experienced in the past, they have hardly been as difficult as before. The biggest issue is that I am being constantly reminded of the darkest times of my life. Whether it be a movie or a bad dream, the problem seems to keep coming up and it has been effectively chipping away my energy and optimism.

You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by.
Job 11:16

I wrote the other day about hope, and this is sometimes what I long for the most. For many years it has been a verse that I remind myself of frequently, and something struck me tonight while I was praying about it. In context, it is simply an assurance that we will be concerned with absolutely nothing if we "devote [our] heart to him, and stretch out [our] hands to him" (Job 11:13). I find the need to repeat myself; God does not always reach down and rid us of all our troubles when we ask Him to, but He does indeed hear us and remains faithful.

David Crowder's lyrics again remind me of the hope we have, but also the honest acceptance of our human condition.

In the end, no hurting
In the end, no more yearning
In the end, no suffering, no sadness or pain
. . .
'Til the end, there's hurting
'Til the end, there's yearning
'Til the end, there's suffering, here waiting

What I have to look forward to is so incredible that I can lie down in peace, knowing that hell has already been conquered and the memory of my pain will one day vanish in the sight of the Lord's face.