“And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside” (Genesis 9:22).

A mistake can mark your life. There are many people who have an elephant’s memory for remembering each one of our mistakes. I suppose that they also suffer with their own conscience constantly hammering away at their own mistakes.

It is sometimes difficult for us to forgive our own mistakes. We remember them constantly without “outside help.”

In the face of this reality, I would like to show you a pair of elements that seem interesting, important, and (sincerely) vital to me.

First. God has a different memory from ours. When He forgives, He does not keep going over the matter. He does not take advantage of every moment of “weakness” or any discussion to remind you of your mistake. That is not the profile of the biblical God. He casts your sins into the depths of the sea . . . and there is no underwater diver to go and get them.

Second. The one who likes getting wet and likes this sport is God’s enemy, the one who accuses you day and night. At the same time, when your conscience “invites” you to take a trip to the bottom of the ocean, you already know that the idea did not come from Heaven.

Third. It is also a game of God’s enemy to make you sin, and when you repent and ask for divine forgiveness (which is always available to you), he begins to “explain” that this is the fifteenth time you are asking for forgiveness in one week, that you cannot be so impudent to come back before the presence of God who is holy to present to Him—one more time—your need for forgiveness. In case you had forgotten it, in addition to being God’s enemy, he is the father of all lies.

The God who loves us extends His constant forgiveness without limits. If we repent, He forgives us. To Him, there is no possibility of being “marked” negatively if we show the slightest intention of looking for Him.

It does not matter to God if your sin is new or old, original or repeated, conscious or unconscious. He is only interested in knowing if you, as a sinner, are repentant or not. Moreover, in light of your weakness, He gives you strength so you can truly repent.

Ham saw the nakedness of his father. You and I also make mistakes. Thank God for His immense power to forgive and forget.