LET GO OF THE PAST
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Let Go of the Past | by Corine Pevny
“We keep ourselves so tied up in regretting the past and fearing the future that we don’t have any energy left to figure out who we are and what we want to create right now.” ~ Gay Hendricks
 How many of you have heard the phrase "bury the hatchet?" What does that mean to you? How many of you have 'buried the hatchet' at certain times in your life, just to dig it up again? That's an interesting thought, isn't it? Think about a painful part of your past. Picture it in your mind. Picture the people involved in it...people who have hurt you, caused you pain, embarrassment, or sadness. How do you feel inside when you think about that memory? Do you feel emotional? Are there feelings of anger or resentment? Or do you simply feel neutral? If the feelings you have are anything but neutral, then you are stuck in the past, and that weakens you. How many of you think that you've forgiven someone, only to see them again and those old 'feelings' come up...the tightness in your chest or the old heartache? There is nothing you can do to change the past. It's already happened. Thinking about it, dwelling on it, hashing it over, or complaining about it will not change it. However, it can change you. If your thought processes are creating guilt, pride, resentment, anger, regret or self-pity, then you are not only reinforcing a false sense of self, but also helping to accelerate your body's aging process by creating an accumulation of past in your psyche. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to see if your are 'stuck' in the past: 1. Does the past take up a great deal of my attention? 2. Do I frequently talk and think about it, either positively or negatively? (The great things that I have achieved, my adventures or experiences; or my victim story and the dreadful things that were done to me, or maybe things I did to someone else.) Living in the present moment requires work! It requires an awareness of your thoughts, and acting on them. If they are negative, let them go. Replace them with a positive thought. This will take practice, but it will also change your life! You don't need the past. Feel the power of this moment and the fullness of Being. Feel your presence! |
1 comments:
DON’T JUST “LET GO” OF THE PAST… OVERCOME IT!
As with most things, the glass can be half empty or half full. If you truly look at every experience as an opportunity, then instead of “burying”, ignoring, denying, or otherwise avoiding events from your past that have caused and/or continue to cause pain or regret, then you need to use it as a tool for healing and moving forward.
I believe that if something is constantly being brought to our consciousness; that is God’s way of reminding us that it needs to be dealt with differently than how we have dealt with it in the past. It’s our chance for a “Do-over”. We have all heard the saying “If we don’t learn from the past, we are destined to repeat it”. Isn’t that exactly what pains from the past that continue to resurface are doing to us? Therefore, if we don’t deal with them and overcome their damaging influence in our lives, the pain will continue…
“That which we resist (or don’t deal with), will persist”. So we have to put on our “big boy” pants, pull ourselves up by our “boot-straps”, look it in the eye, and attack it head-on with everything we’ve got! Most of all, we need to acknowledge that God is bringing this to our consciousness because he loves us, wants us to be happier by overcoming the pain AND most importantly He is also there to inspire us and give us strength to defeat it, so we can make room in our lives for the blessings that he is anxious to shower down on us!
For example “REGRET” can be a cancer to our soul, or a tremendous blessing which is alerting us to a “block” that may be holding us back from realizing future blessings. I would take exception to the comment “There is nothing you can do to change the past”. Although it is TRUE that you cannot change the “event” that happened in the past, you can change how it effects you by changing how you feel about it, therefore changing it’s relevance in your life. All of a sudden the “negative” past, becomes a “positive” lesson… The past is changed!
Therefore, if events of the past are plaguing your “present”, then deal with them. Identify the regret, recognize how it continues to affect your life, ask yourself “What am I supposed to learn from this?”, “What can I do to correct the negative impact this has created in my life?” and finally “What has to happen for me to feel this is resolved and release it?”
Once you learn the lesson you should have learned and take the action to mitigate any negative influence that has persisted into your “present”, you will find that the regret, guilt, frustration, resentment, etc., loses it’s power over you and slowly fades into the distance and is soon forgotten allowing you to “move-on” and progress. You will find that thoughts and feelings that were previously obstacles have become strengths to overcome present and future challenges.
There are very few things in life that cannot be “fixed”, especially through the process of repentance and sometime more important… forgiveness. There are many “blocks” that can be removed or “released” through the simple act of releasing pride, humbling ourselves, seeking forgiveness and clearing our soul by forgiving others!
So, release the chains of the past and forge them into your sword & shield to take on the future!
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