With a new year comes new beginnings. This month, let’s focus on letting go of the pain of the past and embracing the promises of our future.
“Let’s forget the baggage of the past and make a new beginning.”
–Shehbaz Sharif
In the new year, it’s easy to put all of our focus on the new things—new goals, new plans, new month, new day. We can get lost in the freshness of it all.
I know I can. I love this time of year and all the possibilities. But then something will happen. Maybe it’s a reminder of an old argument. Or the renewal of a pet peeve. Or the breaking of an appliance that was on its last legs around Christmas.
And then we realize that for all the “new,” there is a lot of “old” still with us.
Letting go of the past
How do we let go of a past that is still in our present? That’s a question I may not be qualified to answer as I struggle with unloading my own baggage. Some days, it feels like those heavy loads magically reappear on my back, even though I was sure I left them on the road yesterday.
That’s the thing about hurt and stress and pain. They hang around long after we think we’ve let them go or “solved the problem.” But they are still there, rattling around in the back of our heads, squeezing our hearts and twisting our stomachs.
Letting go isn’t a forever process. Sometimes, it’s just a for-this-minute process.
Putting down the baggage, letting go of the problems that plague us—from home repairs to rebellious children— doesn’t mean pretending they are gone or ignoring them. It means not allowing them to keep us from enjoying the promises of our future. From seeing the new beginnings that are happening right around us.
Making New Beginnings
Sometimes we make our own new beginnings when we change the way we live, think, or act. And sometimes our new beginnings are made for us, by a loving God who knows what’s best for us and when.
Letting go of what we can’t control, and placing the pain and hurts of the past at His feet, allow us to clearly see what’s in store.
When you take the weight off your back, you can finally stand up straight and look around at the world and promises before you.
Letting go may only work for today, but when the pain comes back tomorrow, give it to God. Then do it the next day. And the next.
And during those reprieves, take that opportunity to make a new beginning for yourself.
Have a blessed Monday!
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Great thoughts, Rebecca. There are so many who carry these heavy burdens around and don’t even realize that they’re doing it! I’m glad you’ve offered us the answer–to leave these problems at our Lord’s feet, sometimes over and over and over again! Because, as humans, we tend to grab things back! Lol! Even when those things hurt us and weigh us down. I’ll be pinning and tweeting this, my friend!
Thanks, Beth! Yes, that’s the trick – not trying to grab them back! Luckily, we have a Lord who will always take our burdens. Thanks for reading and sharing!