Have you ever been out to dinner with a group of people and had that one person who always talks about their “glory days”? They focus on past achievements and highlights from a while back. To those people, it is obvious that their best days are behind them. Have you ever experienced a conversation with a person like that?

Have you ever known a person who likes to relive the pain of the past? All they talk about are their disappointments, mistakes, and everything terrible that happened to them. They dwell in pain that happened years ago and that pain has an obvious grip on who they are today. That pain is stopping them from living their best life because they just cannot seem to be present and participate in the goodness of God’s love here and now. 

Sitting around dwelling on the past is just a big waste of time and energy. We cannot do anything about what happened in our past. We can change and do something about today. We cannot influence the past, but we can influence the future. 

Bitterness, heartache, and resentment tire you out. You have to let it go and forgive those who wronged you. When you are holding on to pain, it’s hard for you to be your best. 

The pain of the past is like old baggage that is just slowing you down and making you unproductive. It will ruin your current relationships. Stop you from getting that promotion that you have been working for. It will also bring a complete halt to your dreams and purpose in life. The worst part about all of this is that this baggage is not attached to you. It does not need to be surgically removed. You just need to let it go and this is when you will free yourself. 

I was in Luoyang China in 2015. My mother had passed away the previous year and I had so much resentment in my heart from all the lies and broken promises of my childhood. My heart was cold. Something inside of me could not believe that I lost my mother under such negative circumstances. 

I took out a notebook and proceeded to forgive my mom in writing for everything she did over the years that hurt me. I cried as I wrote. Each sentence released pain that I had buried for nearly twenty years. I wrote about her lies, her absence because she was always in prison, the money she stole from me, the danger she put me in, and so much more. For the first time, I was facing my pain head-on. 

When it was all over, I told my mom to rest in peace and that I forgave her. I would not hold on to that pain any longer because I loved her and it was time for me to move on in life. I am sure that is exactly what she would have wanted anyway. 

It’s time for you to move on. It’s time for you to gain control over your life. It’s time for you to free yourself from those who hurt you because the best of who you are has not happened! Your future is bright and you need to invest in your future by focusing on the good that God has presented you with today!

You cannot walk forward when you are looking backward. Let go of the emotional baggage that makes you lose your excitement and passion for living. Where you are going in life is far more important than where you have been. You need to be able to enjoy who you are, where you are, and the possibilities in your life. You cannot do that if you are focused on the pain of the past. Don’t make the mistake of living in the past and ruining the possibilities of the future. 

God is putting new doors of opportunity in front of you, not behind you. Walk through those old doors and close them so you can focus on the new doors. Invest in your future by letting go of your past starting today…

Terrance Thomas