The hour glass is running out as I am at the ending of another year in my life. Instead of hearing tick tock tick tock, I hear the words screaming in my head “LET IT GO”! I need to let go of all the junk from days, weeks, months and even years of the past behind me. But how?
How does a person leave behind past failures, hurts, words and bad memories? I am learning daily to do this very thing and it is not easy at all. I have found myself feeling irritable and angry for no reason. Hmmm, is that no reason or lots of reasons? I am realizing that I am carrying years of hurt, disappointments and even fear with me into each new day. So the question still remains: how do I change this?
I am creating a safe place in my life to accept all the past hurts as just that…the PAST. I am allowing myself to acknowledge my failures and those bad things that happened to me and because of me. What’s next? What did I learn from them? Maybe I learned what my strengths were and my weaknesses. Maybe I learned what others strengths and weaknesses are. I have to look at the situations and the people involved in those past hurts and failures. After I have taken a long in-depth look at the situations and people involved, it’s time to ask myself if I need to take those same people with me into my future. The people we have in our lives may always go with us on some level because they are family or people we can’t avoid. However, are they VIP level or balcony level people? Do you want them so closely involved in your life that they have access to continue to hurt you or maybe to have the fear they will? Or do they belong up in the balcony level where they don’t have that direct access? Deeply evaluating these people will categorize them in their appropriate categories.
I am finding for myself to forgive those who hurt me I need to move some of them to balcony seats. Usually for me those are the ones who never make a life change to assure they will no longer continue the hurting. This way I assure myself once I’ve moved them to the balcony area I can then heal and forgive.
Forgive!!! What a word. I find this word sometimes impossible. But God tells me to do it and that ALL things are possible IN HIM! So I am asking God to help me do the thing He tells me to do. The best way I am finding to do this is to change my thoughts. When something triggers the hurt, I have to think of something positive from that situation or person. I also find that saying out loud I forgive them helps immensely. For out of the mouth is where action starts. I have better things to do with my energy and heart. One very powerful thing I am doing to forgive me or others is pray! Praying for the person that hurt me or for even myself assures God is for sure right in the middle of this process.
I am going to spend the next few days of 2018 working on LETTING IT GO! Leaving some hurts, failures, bad memoriesand disappointments in my past. 2019 will be filled with peace, love, joy, new memories and NO MORE FEAR!
Acknowledge. Evaluate. Forgive. Pray.
I pray that what I am walking through will inspire you on your walk.
“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,”
Philippians 3:13 NLT
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
Ephesians 4:31-32 NLT
“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.”
Proverbs 18:21 NLT
Dream Catcher 3:20
Cassie Gilman
