– By Lori Benka

Have you ever wished you could start over and do something different? Do you ever find yourself pondering on …..”If only” or “what if”…? Maybe the simplicity of yesterday has you longing for the past. Or maybe the pain of yesterday has you bound to the past. Does breaking free from the chains of yesterday seem like an impossibility? Helen Reddy wrote:

“Hindsight is wonderful. It’s always very easy to second guess after the fact.”

So often we don’t understand the implications of a decision until after the fact. Wouldn’t it be nice if everything we went through had a warning label on it? Warning…..this decision may cause pain. Or, warning….this road will lead to much heartache in your life.

Definition of Hindsight

Merriam-Webster defines hindsight as, “perception of the nature of an event after it has happened.”

The meaning of the word hits home to many of us, doesn’t it? How many times do we do or say something, take a job, or move across state only to realize it was a big mistake? We often are met with discouragement and discontentment when things don’t go the way we thought. Breaking free from the pain of our decisions seems impossible.

Regret, shame, and yearning for something different are enemies of God and will still our hope and our joy if we are not careful. But God says in Isaiah 43:18:

“Forget the former things: do not dwell on the past.”

God is telling us to stop thinking about the things that are bringing us down. Forget about what happened in the past. It is finished! The painful memories and the hurts you endured are over. Stop allowing them to control your future. Isaiah 43:19 says:

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

Breaking Free From the Past

So often, we can not move forward in the blessings God has available for us because we are holding on to something that happened to us in the past. We could be holding on to a broken relationship, abuse, abandonment, a traumatic event, a past sin, or a past failure. Many times we hold on to it so tightly that we begin to allow it to shape our lives and our future.

The pain we carry runs deep and we begin to define ourselves by this pain. God is telling us to let go of the past. He wants to do a new thing in each and every one of our lives. We can not grab hold of the future until we let go of the past.

An Example of Breaking Free

I’m going to be honest with you here. Being in ministry has had its challenges. There have been some churches I have loved and some I couldn’t wait to leave. I often would begin to wonder if we somehow made a mistake coming to the hard churches. Oftentimes, I would dream about pastoring a different, easier church or leave ministry altogether.

However, when God would move us from those hurtful churches to a new church, the hurt and pain caused by the congregants would follow me inhibiting me from being what the people needed from a pastor’s wife. I was carrying past hurt with me and putting up walls between the people and myself as a protective mechanism. I was ineffective at what God was calling me to be.

Only when I release my past to God can He work in my life. I cannot soar to the heights of God’s calling until I break free from the past and allow His healing to set me free.

Breaking Free From Other’s Labels

You are not defined by what other people say about you. You are not defined by your past hurt and pain. You are defined by the God who created the universe and He says:

You Are Beautiful….Psalm 139:14

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

You are God’s Workmanship….Ephesians 2:10

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

You Are Strong and Courageous….Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

You are Victorious…..1 Corinthians 15:57

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

You are Loved…..John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

You are a New Creation…..2 Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Breaking Free to Newness

I read something the other day and I want to share it with you. It said: “Just because something is broken and beat up, doesn’t mean it is any less valuable. You are so valuable to God. He wants to do a new thing in your life. The new He is doing has never existed before. He wants to help you break free from the bondages of your past so He can make you into something brand new.

Isaiah 48:6-7 says:

“You have heard; See all this. And will you not declare it? I have made you hear new things from this time. Even hidden things, and you did not know them. They are created now and not from the beginning; and before this day you have not heard them.”

Conclusion

Would you be willing to give Jesus your past hurt so He can make something beautiful for your future? As you begin to release the pain of yesterday to Him, it will begin to lose its power over you and you can be free to be all that God created you to be. You were never made to wallow around in yesterday. You were made to soar on high, Daughter of the King.

I pray you can begin to let go and let God work in you so you can find Joy in Today.

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