I suppose we all have a few memories that cause us to cringe, memories of things we did or things we said that leave shame flooding our minds and little trickles of sweat running down our foreheads. Embarrassing things. Awkward things. Shameful things. Sinful things. Most of us do our best to push these memories away, to do all we can to get them out of our minds. But what if they can actually provide valuable lessons for our own lives and those of other people? Pat Nemmers once pondered this, and drawing inspiration from David’s confession forever enshrined in the words of Psalm 51, understood that there could be a lot of value in facing these memories and pondering them. After all, humility is often closely related to humiliation. The result is a book titled Retractions: Cultivating Humility After Humiliation. And it’s a good one. “What is the aim of this book?” he asks? “That you will see both God and yourself: when we see God more clearly, we see ourselves more clearly. Then, and only then, can we make the necessary adjustments going forward in life.” We all face humiliating moments in our lives and surely God means to accomplish something through them. “However, my experience from many years of working with people is that most of us, once we have confessed and forsaken our sin, wish the whole thing (including the memories) would all go away. My plea to you in this book is, ‘Don’t do that!’ Instead of wasting your sin, … Continue reading Retractions