Forgotten Pain

 A while back, I had a tube shoved down my throat. Okay, maybe "shoved" isn't quite the right word for it. I'm sure the doctors were as gentle as possible. But the procedure needed doing, and they did it, and I'm grateful for that. But what really weirds me out about the situation is that I'm pretty sure I remember them telling me I was conscious the whole time, but if I was, I don't remember it. I currently don't remember any part of the procedure, even though I'm pretty sure I was conscious at the time.

I had a similar experience when I was a kid. I was playing tag, and I accidentally stepped on a ground hornets' nest. Naturally, they swarmed me, and they probably bit me dozens of times, but I say "probably" because, again, I don't really remember. Shortly after the incident, I got a Priesthood blessing, and possibly because that blessing, I do not remember having ever felt the pain of those hornet bites.

Those two experiences have something in common. They must have been painful, or at least uncomfortable at the time, but now, looking back at them, I don't remember the pain at all. I assume the doctors were gentle, because they seem like the kind of people who would be kind, but they could have tortured me, for all I know. I literally don't remember.

I can't say for certain, but I can certainly hope that these two experiences are analogous to our mortal lives. We know that God can take our memories away. After all, He temporarily took away our memories of our premortal lives. Maybe He'll apply that power, at least selectively, to our mortal lives as well. Life can be painful now, but maybe He will help us forget that the pain ever happened.

Now, naturally, we can't forget all of our mortal lives, or we would forget the lessons, too, but I know from personal experience that God has the power to be that carefully selective. I forgot the pain of the hornet bites, but remember the importance of avoiding hornets. Perhaps God can help us forget the pain of mortal existence, but remember the importance of avoiding sin.

Perhaps I'm being too hopeful. Perhaps we'll have to cope with the pain and move forward, just as we have to do in our mortal lives. But I don't think God would force us to hold on to our pain any longer than would be good for us. Once we've thoroughly learned the lesson, further pain would serve no purpose, and I believe it would be forgotten. I may be wrong in my hope here, but I look forward to looking back on my life on Earth with only happy memories, having finally forgotten all the pain.