FORGETTING THOSE THINGS
We’re still early in the new year and it seems to me that now is a good time to make space for all that is ahead by letting the past go.
We’re encouraged to do this in a healthy way with these words from the Bible:
Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Philippians 3:13-14
For all of us, last year and beyond had held a mixture of experiences. We’ve had some ups and some downs, some successes and some failures, joys and sorrows, hopes fulfilled and disappointments and so on.
What each new year, each new season, yes, and even each new day offers us is an opportunity to take all that was, offer it back to God, trust Him to make something good out of it all and then look forward.
It’s interesting how different people are challenged in the “letting go process” by different things. Some of us find it hard to let go of the things that shamed us. We all think we’re better people than our worst mistakes but truthfully, outside of the grace and forgiveness of God, we’re even worse than we know. It’s time to let all of our failures go and invite the grace and forgiveness of God to fill us with new life.
We all want to live in the moments where all was right and well and we were successful, experiencing meaning and purpose and joy in what we were engaged in. We want more of that in our future, and that’s fair but who knows how much of that this upcoming year will hold or how much of it will be more mundane where we simply need to persevere and do the right thing that is in front of us.
This is a great moment to give thanks to God for the gift all of those wonderful experiences of this past year and then put them also into God’s hands. I tell you what, whatever we give to God, He multiplies when He gives back to us.
Loving God, The only thing that matters on this day is that we surrender all that the past held to You, our loving God, put our eyes on Jesus as our faithful example, and then listen carefully for the voice of Your Holy Spirit as You direct us today and each day going forward.
As the verse we read earlier reminded us, we commit ourselves today to:
Why not take a few moments and just quietly remember and rehearse some of the past year with God and in whatever way is meaningful for you, put each experience into God’s loving hands, trusting Him for a wonderful year of new experiences with Him in this new year.
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