“To design the future effectively, you must first let go of your past.”
Charles J. Givens
Let’s go there. Thanksgiving has come and gone, leaving the excitement of Christmas Day lying just around the corner. Despite Thanksgiving Day’s delicious food and entertaining football game, family chaos sometimes just can’t be avoided. There may have been that infamous family argument, the unforgettable comment that Aunt Silvia managed to slip in, or perhaps the occasional nagging from Grandma and Grandpa about the current state of your schooling/career/life? And then there it is–that subsequent, uncomfortable sensation claiming dominion over the pit of our stomachs. Have you recently had an experience resembling one of the examples described above? Has the revolving door of your thoughts placed this memory in constant rotation?
Or let’s go deeper…
When was the last time you dropped the ball? I mean really dropped it. That ball rolled so far away that it’s just a glimmer on the horizon at this point. Unfortunately, no matter how hard we try to avoid those moments, they will occasionally happen, leaving us scrambling to pick up the pieces.
* * *
Life has left marks on us, sometimes producing scars so deep (literal and/or figurative) that no amount of care seems to diminish their existence.
“Just let it go,” people may have said to you. However, it really isn’t that simple. If it was, so many of us wouldn’t be forcing ourselves to relive moments that bring us nothing but discomfort and/or regret. As much as we may wish it were true, we can’t just flick a light switch, distinguishing our lingering memories/thoughts.
Giving It Away
I hesitate to believe that these unfortunate experiences should just be tossed over our shoulders like a grain of salt. These aren’t trivial moments in our lives; some do deserve our constructive attention, possibly rectifying unresolved situations.
However, after giving these situations their due-diligence, why can it still be so hard to wipe the slate clean? Leaving me with the question: is it truly about letting it go, or is it about giving it away to God? Though some of us may prefer to believe that we are superhuman, conquering the world on our own one day at a time–this concept is not realistic. We need help; we can’t do this alone. At some point, if we do not free our hands from our grip on the past, how are we supposed to hold onto God’s hands that guide us toward our next advised step?
Giving God our scars not only allows His healing, but also enables being fully present for what’s in front of us. If our focus isn’t on the here and now, joy will be missed and more mistakes will inevitably be made. When was the last time you succeeded at something when your focus lied somewhere else? More than likely, that has never happened. Our moments of pain should not remain in our peripheral vision. Should those instances help shape the new steps that we take? Absolutely. However, if those fumbles are continually fighting for the spotlight, we can’t fully embrace what is in front of us.
Choose to take control over your daily thoughts. Unclench those fingers. Hand Him your scars, freeing your arms to be wrapped around the One who can carry the weight of the world for you (and already has), wanting to share His universe.
Life is a crazy, precious ride. Hold on tight.
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Challenge Yourself: Be honest with yourself. What are you carrying around that needs to be released in order to focus on worthy goals? Choose to be stronger than a moment in your rear-view mirror.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 (ESV)
**Special thanks to Cheryl for the nomination of “Blog of the Year Award 2012”! You can visit Cheryl’s site by selecting the following link: http://weepingintodancing.wordpress.com/page/6/.
Twitter: @AliciaMSmith7
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Tagged: Belief, Choices, Christianity, Faith, God, Grace, Holding On, Letting go, Life, Promises, Relationships, Trials Image may be NSFW.
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