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| Volume 25 Number 11 November 2023 |
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| Volume 25 Number 11 November 2023 |
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The Freedom of Letting Go
Rodney Nulph, Associate Editor
Think with me for a moment; is it more difficult for you to accept God’s forgiveness, to forgive others for things they have done to you or to forgive yourself? I am quite sure that these can be difficult at times for each of us. However, one area of forgiveness that seems to be difficult for many is learning to forgive oneself. When we do not learn to forgive ourselves, guilt, shame, worthlessness and a lack of joy often manifest themselves. If we do not “let go,” our past can haunt us to the point of wasting the life we currently have. If you are like me, you are prone to remember things that you wish you would have done differently, words you wish you had said differently and reactions that you wish you did differently. Because we are all human, we all have those things in our past. How can we learn to let go? How can we learn to have the freedom of letting go?
Recognition
One important thing we must do first is to recognize that we are all human! There was never a perfect human on earth except for Jesus Christ. Therefore, since we are all human, we will do human things, and unfortunately humanity is good at sinning (Romans 3:10, 23). Recognizing our own humanity can help us to recognize that those around us are also human. That will help us to develop patience, kindness and forgiveness toward others as well. Was that not exactly what the apostle Paul referenced when he told the Philippians that he had “already attained, or am already perfected” (Philippians 3:12 NKJV)? The Christian life is a process by which we each grow and mature (2 Peter 1:5-9). So, when there is an area of your life that has not yielded the perfect fruit quite yet (Galatians 5:22-23), recognize that you are a work in progress and a child of the King! One of my favorite songs, often thought of as a children’s song, is “He’s Still Working on Me.” Is that not the case for all of us?
Reevaluate
Past sins are excellent teachers and experience for future growth. When you try to relive your past, stop for a moment and only relive it long enough to reevaluate what you could have done differently. If a baker forgot to add baking powder to a recipe and the item was a complete flop, would the baker never bake again? Or, would the baker simply reevaluate the mistake and try to not make that mistake again? Past sins and mistakes can make us better if we view them properly, but beware, past sins can also make us bitter. Choose better over bitter!
Refocus
In my personal estimation, Christianity is all about refocusing (Philippians 3:12-14). The world and the struggles therein are always blurring our spiritual eyes. Therefore, we must constantly refocus and adjust our vision. Is that not one of the great benefits of the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 11:28)? We refocus our appetites and attitudes by meditating on the cross. I like to think of the Lord’s Supper as a time of refocus and renewal! Our attitude must be, “Last week I may not have achieved what the Lord wanted me to do, but this is a new week, and I will try again, learning from my past and leaning more fully on Jesus!” Eternity is about learning to refocus; consider the difference between Peter and Judas. Peter refocused and grew, while Judas regretted and died. Surely refocus was on David’s mind when he penned, by inspiration, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus answered, “…Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31 emphasis added). Notice carefully, love yourself! There is almost no way we can love ourselves, as we should, until we learn to forgive ourselves for the past. Forgiveness in any area – whether it is God’s forgiveness of us, our forgiveness of others or our forgiveness of ourselves – is freedom! When we learn the beauty of forgiveness, we will certainly enjoy the freedom of letting go!
