This seven part series called “Letting Go” will cover seven topics that we all struggle to let go of at different seasons of our lives. But why do we? Why do we hold on to temporary things when they deteriorate us and make us miserable? The second part of this series will cover what happened in the past- so without further ado, here is Part 3: Letting Go of the Past:

What’s past is past.

Easier said than done, am I right?

The past is a haunting thing, for some more than others. In comparison to a lot of people, my past is not really a scary thing. Some people have an extremely daunting past, so I feel really under-qualified to write about this topic, but this I do know: your past does in no way define you.

Plain and simple, right?

Wrong.

People make mistakes. We’re all human. Some mistakes we are forced to live with for a lifetime but I promise that you’re not going to face those things for an eternity.

I know that life is tough sometimes and that some people have hurt you. I understand that you made mistakes that you wish you could undo. You wish you could take back some words you said that one time. That’s okay. That’s part of life.

The things you have done in your life make you who you are and they shape your future but the things you’ve done don’t determine how you’re forced to live the rest of your life. Just because you’ve made a few mistakes, doesn’t mean you need to dwell on those things. Let them go.

When you dwell on things, it takes up your whole mind. It consumes everything you are but you don’t have to live that way. We are promised a NEW LIFE in Christ. And that new life means that you don’t have to live life in the past. You don’t have to let those things that you’ve done or that have haunted you consume you.

Please don’t let them consume you.

That’s a problem in our society. People dwell on things that have happened in the past and they get offended and hurt by those things but if we as a society came together to better our lives and to look forward to a bright future, then it would solve so many problems. If you focused on what the past has done to shape you and mold you into who you are today or switched your view on situations, you would be so much better off. We need to be there for our friends and family who are struggling because more people are struggling than you know. The people whose lives look great on their Facebook are really breaking inside. The people who smiled at you in the grocery store just spent their whole car ride crying. The woman that just helped you has scars and bruises underneath the clothes she was wearing. We all have a story and we all have a past. Invest in the people in your life. Don’t just greet them, really invest in them and take time to know them and their struggles. Sometimes that’s all you can do to be there for somebody. Listen to them.

Maybe you have ghosts. Maybe you wake up in the middle of the night screaming because of the things that haunt you because you haven’t dealt with things that have happened in your past. Lay those things at the cross. Surrender these things. Surrender your everything to the One who created you and created your mind.

Don’t let the people who have hurt you keep you from accomplishing things in life.

Don’t let the people who have hurt you keep you from meeting new people and discovering new places.

So many people let their past set them back and that is not what God intended for your life. God intended your mistakes and your regrets and your struggles to help you learn. You’re supposed to learn and grow from those things. And the thing about life lessons is that they don’t last forever. You don’t have to dwell in your season of grief for years to come because you can learn from them now and you can let them go. Letting go of things that happen in your life is a process. Sometimes it is a long process but don’t let it define you. Don’t let it capture your heart and your mind. Let Jesus define who you are.

Sometimes we’re forced to suck stuff like this up and act like we have it all together. Sometimes you have to bottle things like this up and unpack it later. That’s the worst thing you can deal with, honestly because it just sits in your mind and you never deal with it, you never cope and you never have closure for yourself.

While you shouldn’t dwell on the past, you have to also allow yourself a significant amount of time to deal with it or even talk about it because if you don’t, the wounds will never fully be healed.

Jesus conquered your mistakes.

Jesus conquered your regrets.

Jesus conquered the things that haunt you.

Take that opportunity to grow from those things. Take that opportunity to let your chains fall at the feet of your Lord and Savior.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell in 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 wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

Y’all, our God restores!

That’s probably going to be a sentence I’m going to repeat a lot in this series, but it’s so true. Don’t you see? He is using your wastelands and your desert seasons and he is making them into streams of water. After the rainstorm is the rainbow. This season of hurt and nostalgia isn’t going to last forever. God is in the business of restoring hearts and restoring relationships. Don’t wait for your hurt to wash away on its own ecause I promise you, it’s not going to. The only way that you will ever get away from your fears and your regrets is through Jesus.

I have been hurt. People have stepped all over me and made me question what real friendship and real love is. There was a time when I truly didn’t know what love was. And until more recently, I let those things affect how I lived and how I viewed people and friendships. I let it get in the way of living life in the moment. I let it get in the way of the memories that I am making right here, right now. But the truth is, God is love. God is the only thing that can truly conquer the things that have hurt you. No amount of nicotine or alcohol can fix what happened in your past. Your fears set you back, they don’t protect you from anything.

Maybe you’re in a pit of darkness. Maybe you think you’re in desolation and you are never getting out. Being desolate and being alone is a hard thing to cope with, especially if you’re an extrovert like I am. But sometimes, in our most desolate times when we feel most alone is when we can hear God’s still, small voice the most. Sometimes in our most desperate times we are the most desperate for our Lord. Sometimes in the quiet alone times you realize that you aren’t really alone.

The path to forgetting what happened in the past is in no way an easy one. Sometimes it seems nearly impossible. But don’t lean on your own understanding of what “letting go” means. Full surrender can only take place if you are fully committed to God’s plan. He doesn’t want you to dwell. He wants you to be happy. He wants you to pursue a relationship with Him and learn from the things that life throws at you. He wants you to be set free from the chains of the past. He wants you to lay down your heavy burdens at His feet.

Live in that promise.

You are a child of a King.

Live like it.

Let go of the past and accept the fact that it is the past and you can’t change that no matter how hard you try. Live and let live.