Remember and Change…

A week or so ago...perhaps a bit longer....annie posted a snippet about a place in Ireland called Correymeela. It is a community dedicated to reconciliation in Ireland and in the world.  She posted the following quote from an interview about the community. 

Paul Hutchinson, the director of Correymeela, described how an escalating cycle of vengeance grows; individuals or groups strike back blow for blow, death for death and this goes on for generations until one side does something unexpected. When someone makes a non-violent, surprising, gracious gesture toward their enemy then the conflict is caught up short and enemies re-examine each other with new eyes. He told us a story of how a cup of tea between an IRA foot soldier and a British policeman helped to avert a riot. The two met at Corrymeela, had a conversation and weeks later, in the midst of a street conflict, the two were able to negotiate a stand down between the police and the Nationalists who were ready to riot.
He also gave me an aphorism I’ll remember, “Don’t forgive and forget, remember and change.”

This reminded me of the times throughout history....two that come to mind quickly...both in wartime...both when unusual circumstances led to this re-examination of each other with new eyes. Both of these events happened at Christmas.  One during World War 1 in 1914…on the battlefront. The other, depicted in the movie Keith and I watched last New Year's Eve...Silent Night starring Linda Hamilton…happened in a secluded cabin in Germany during WWII.   You can read more about it HERE and HERE if you want more details.  And in a post I wrote about the movie HERE

A phrase from the above quote caught my eye.  I've pondered it off and on since I read it. 

"Don't forgive and forget, remember and change"

Hmmmmm. 

I have a few more posts in the queue about forgiveness.  Interesting subject.  One Jesus was quite adamant about.  Forgiveness.  7 times 70 no less.  It's hard enough to forgive once let alone 70....and lets just forget about the 7 times 70 nonsense.  Yet there it is in scripture.  In. Red. 

More to come…..