I recently stumbled upon an amazing quote from a great man of faith. C.S. Lewis said, “Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.”
I know so many people who have past hurts weighing them down. I used to live that way myself. My family life growing up was full of strife and painful memories. I learned to cope by trying to completely forget everything that happened, but the pain remained.
As I grew older I had to learn to come to grips with what happened but learn to get better instead of bitter. I learned that I needed to forgive those who had hurt me and others around me continually. I couldn’t just try to forget and move on because my heart was growing so cold and bitter.
I knew I couldn’t keep carrying my burdens and past hurts anymore. There was an altar call at church one Sunday for those who feel weighed down with hurt or anger. My heart started pounding immediately and I knew I had to make a move and step out to pray to God.
I desperately wanted and needed to be free from the pain of my past. I stepped out and dropped down on my knees before the Lord and cried out to Him. Immediately it felt like a huge boulder was lifted off of me.
I didn’t realize that the pain I experienced was literally weighing me down in every area of my life and preventing me from moving forward. I’m here to tell you that now I live in peace and joy because we have a good Father, God. Through the blood of Jesus sacrificing Himself for all of us, we were forgiven. But it doesn’t stop there!
We were given the Holy Spirit to dwell with us to help us overcome heartaches, tragedies, losing a loved one, and to live a life of freedom. We are free to live a joyful and peaceful life because we have the best Father.
If you aren’t experiencing freedom from your pain, I encourage you to cry out to God to release you from it all. If you need to forgive someone or many people, say it out loud and let it go. Whatever it is, bring it to God and He won’t let you down!
For those who have lost a loved one, know that this life is temporary but Heaven is forever. We have special people in our lives that share life with us but remember that there is a time for everything. One of the wisest men in the Bible explains in Ecclesiastes 3 that there is a time for everything.
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.” Ecclesiastes 3:11-12
It’s natural to mourn the loss of loved ones, you will always miss them. But if the pain is holding you back from experiencing life to the fullest now, give your hurt to God. When believers pass away, we can be comforted and celebrate that they are at their true home in heaven. They have reached their ultimate fulfillment in being joined with Christ Jesus. They no longer experience sadness or pain. They are rejoicing and praising God in heavenly bliss.
I get it, it’s hard for me that my Dad is no longer here. But I know he is no longer suffering but instead is at peace in heaven. I can think on the good times and cherish them but I want to strive to rejoice that he is heaven instead of continually mourning the loss of him on earth. It is not a loss in my eyes anymore but a gain for him to be with the Lord.
I’ve learned to praise God not only in the good times but in the bad times as well. Join me in walking in freedom with a relationship with our Father today. You may know Him already but there are some chains that need to come off. Let God love you through it all and begin walking in freedom with Him! Let go and let God!
A Prayer For You
Lord, I cry out to you and give you all my past hurts. Lord give me the strength to overcome and move forward. Thank You for releasing me from my past and guiding me forward into my future. You are a good Father and I want to serve You with everything I have. I pray that Your will would be done in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen!