The Forgetting Machine

READ: ISAIAH 53; JOHN 20:24-28; REVELATION 21:1-5

Jayden stood outside the Renewal Center, staring at the glowing sign. A fresh start. No more pain. No more grief.

Everyone said it was the best decision he’d ever make. Just one session, and all the hurt would be gone.

His fingers tightened around the cross pendant at his neck. Could he really let it all go?

He closed his eyes. His dad’s steady voice reading the psalms. His mom’s soft humming in the kitchen. The warmth of his childhood church. And then—sirens, phone calls, the crushing weight of loss.

He had begged God to take the pain away. Now, here was his chance.

A beep sounded. “Next,” the receptionist called.

Jayden stepped inside. The air smelled sterile, the machines humming softly. A woman in a lab coat smiled at him.

“You’ll feel a small pinch, and then—peace.”

Jayden hesitated. Then he noticed something. The people leaving…they did seem happy, but they weren’t just happy. They were empty.

Would he forget the nights he had clung to God, desperate for strength? The moments when God’s love felt so near, even in the midst of heartbreak? The kindness of strangers, the prayers that carried him? If he erased the pain, what else would disappear?

His heart pounded.

“I can’t,” he whispered.

The technician frowned. “Why?”

Jayden swallowed hard. “Because my pain wasn’t pointless. God used it to shape me. He showed me that He stays close beside me, even in the pain. If I forget everything, I lose that too.”

The woman’s smile flickered. “That’s your choice.”

Jayden turned and walked out. The grief was still there. But so was his faith. And he would never trade that.

A small smile tugged at his lips as he walked away. Thank you, Jesus, for never forgetting me. • Olamide Agemo

• Today’s story is science fiction. If you had the option to erase your painful memories, would you want to?

• How does our past shape who we are?

• Isaiah 53:3-4 calls Jesus “a man of suffering, and familiar with pain…Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering.” Jesus faced the excruciating pain of the cross. He also went through other terrible things, like loss, rejection, anxiety, and violence. All of this physical, emotional, and spiritual pain was worth it to Jesus because He loves us—so much so that He would do whatever it took to rescue us from sin and death and make the way for us to be with Him forever (John 3:16-17; Hebrews 12:2; 1 Peter 3:18). How can it give us comfort to know that Jesus faced all this on the cross for us to ultimately free us from our pain, and also to stand in solidarity with us in our present pain? (For more about this good news, see our "Know Jesus" page.)

• When Jesus rose from the dead, He had a new resurrected body, yet He still bore the marks where the nails were driven into His hands and the spear was plunged into His side. Why do you think God chose to keep the marks of crucifixion on His resurrected body?

• If we know Jesus, we always have hope when we experience pain. God is so good and He loves us so much that He promises to use everything for the good of those who love Him, even our suffering (Romans 5:3-5; 8:28-29, 38-39). When Jesus returns, He’ll make all things new, free from sin, death, and all the brokenness sin causes (Revelation 21:1-5). Until that day, He invites us to be honest with Him about all our pain and grief—knowing that He weeps alongside us and holds us close in His love (Matthew 11:28-30; John 11:32-35; Romans 8:38-39). Consider taking some time to talk to Jesus about your pain, past or present. Instead of trying to forget, you can invite Him to heal.

God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)