Memory Pill or God Pill?

Science is now trying to come up with a pill that can erase bad memories. I certainly have my fair share of bad memories, but I honestly can’t say that I would want them erased. There was certainly a time in my life when I wanted them gone, but because I have been able to work through those memories I have come out a better person. We are a society that believes the “easiest route is the best route”, but is it really?

Daniel Sokol, who lectures on medical ethics at St. George's, University of London, said, "I joined a chess club and lost to an eight-year girl," Sokol told Discovery News. "That was absolutely humiliating. I made a blunder, and I tell myself that I'll never make that mistake again. If you eradicate the memory, will the lesson still remain?"

I understand the pain that bad memories can create for someone, so I am not trying to be insensitive to that fact. However, God often uses bad situations and turns them into a lesson for others. There are countless women out there who have been raped who are now counselors for other victims. There are recovered drug addicts who now counsel addicts. There are parents who have lost children who help those who are suffering through the loss of a child. The amount of pain that people go through can often be used to help those who are enduring the same type of pain. If we accept that a new pill will be able to erase these memories then we are possibly doing an injustice to others and ourselves. As long as there is sin in the world, there will continue to be bad memories created. At what point do we say “enough” and learn to deal with our hurts through the healing power of Jesus Christ and not through the simple fix of a memory-erasing pill? I’m sure that this will be another pill whose negative side effects far outweigh its benefits. How would it be possible to erase bad memories and not have some effect on the positive ones? I wouldn’t want to chance it. I know where I can find healing…Jesus Christ.

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (Psalm 62:1-2)