" Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43: 18-19 (NIV)
Happy Monday! I hope everyone is off to a good start. I know, I am. Over the weekend, I had a "rewind" episode, playing in my head. My mind took me back to some events that occurred last year. I recalled how the actions of one individual led to the demise of my job. It was not only hard to swallow at the time because of the financial troubles it created but I also found myself hating this particular individual with a passion. Soon my emotions of pain, hurt and betrayal yielded to more than I could bargain for .Slowly but surely, I was filling my mind, my heart and my soul with weeds. Those weeds were anger, bitterness, resentment, hatred and unforgiveness. Those were unattractive, undesirable and troublesome feelings that I allow to grow wild where they are not supposed to thrive: My heart. My heart should be a sanctuary for God, a temple for His Holy Spirit. It simply happened because I kept dwelling on the past. I could not let go of the painful memories because it became an unhealthy way of coping. I found myself quickly in the prison of my past and it was very difficult to enjoy my life. How could I have any hope for the future to get better if my present appeared bleak.
It was not long before I felt convicted by the Holy Spirit to shake myself loose of the past hurts, past pains and past betrayals because these weeds were killing me softly. It was indeed time to do what God said in
Colossians 3:8 (NRS)
"But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth." and Colossians 3:13 (NRS) "Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."
You might be thinking to yourself that : "All of this is easily said than done". I completely agree with you but no matter how much you find it difficult, it is totally worth trying. By making the decision to forgive, you are also shedding pounds of unwanted burdens. You are not doing the person who offended you a favor. In fact, you are setting yourself free. Yes, like others have mentioned it before, Forgiveness is really for you.
If we are hurting now as the result of another person's actions, we can reclaim the power we unknowingly handed them by forgiving them. In addition, we should no longer rehearse our past but only use it as a testament of "lessons learned". Rather, we should embrace our present and move on. As we do that, God's healing process can take place and restore our broken hearts. However, we must first commit to uproot the weeds today and heed the words of St. Paul in Philippians 3:13 (NLT)
" No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead."
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we are tired of holding on to our past hurts. Forgive us our trespasses as we learn to forgive those who have offended us. As we promise to let go of our painful past, we believe that you will do a new thing in our lives. We thank you Lord for the promises of Peace, Healing, Deliverance and Restoration that are given to everyone who chooses to cast their anxiety on You because You care (1 peter 5:7). In Jesus' Name. Amen!
May your life be a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God !
Abi
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