Recently a comic in our local paper centered on the flashbacks of the nerdy central character. Though amusing, the cartoons also reminded me that I have such flashbacks. I don’t know where they come from, or why they come, and I usually can’t remember them when they are gone.

They are always about stupid or selfish things I have done, and I chastise myself when I remember. Whether or not the actual event was that bad, it is bad in memory. These intrusions are unbidden, but they keep coming.

I have discovered that others have had similar experiences. Apparently they are not uncommon, or they would not be fodder for a nationwide comic. You may have had them as well.

What spiritual point does this offer? It gives me a far deeper appreciation of God’s patience with me. Though I think myself a reasonably good person, these moments show me as more perverse than I had imagined. How wonderful that my Father has seen all this, forgiven it, and helped me to realize and, hopefully, overcome some of these missteps. We must all learn to have a far greater appreciation of God’s mercy and forgiveness.