Let Go & Move Forward

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. ~Lewis B. Smedes

Wouldn’t it be great if relationships could always stay on an even keel and not get so messy! But life just doesn’t work that way, does it. Maybe you’ve been the perpetrator of the damage to a relationship, or maybe the victim. Either way, you find yourself in a complicated entanglement of hurt feelings, remorse and anger. It may have gone like this:

v  You say or do something incredibly stupid and inflict a wound on someone you care deeply about.

v  You experience the brunt of an unjustified verbal attack and are left reeling in emotional pain.

v  You jump the gun and decide to ‘get even’ before you’ve had time to think it through.

v  You pass judgment on someone and ‘speak your mind’ without knowing the total picture.

v  You make a careless and thoughtless remark and suddenly realize what you’ve done, but it’s too late.

v  Your best friend (at least you thought she was) repeats something you told her in confidence.

And so it begins…

Unresolved relationship issues adversely affect you mentally and physically. They stress your body and take a toll on your health. You need to make a conscious decision to forgive anyone who has offended you, and if you’ve been the offender, ask for their forgiveness. The sooner this can be done, the better and, hopefully, the damaged relationship can be restored. It probably will be a process that takes time and hard work, but the end result will be worth it. 

Last, but not least, make it a point to forgive yourself. Let it all go and move forward with your life. Your physical and emotional health are worth it and life is far too short to carry this kind of baggage around weighing you down.

I realize that this is easy for me to say, but very hard to do. I wish I could say I have all of the answers, but I don’t. I do, however, know where to find them. God has laid it all out for us in his Word in plain language that we can easily understand. So if you have a wound that needs healed or have caused another pain, spend some quiet time seeking His will. After all, He’s the author of LOVE ♥.

Get along with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you. Do all these things; but most important, love each other. Colossians 3:13-14.