Many of us, Lord, live too much in the past, rehashing in our minds all the things that have gone wrong in our lives. We dwell not only on the past, but on the worst of the past. We have a need to beat ourselves over the head with all the “what-could-have-beens” in our lives. How many times do we go over the mistakes we’ve made, the failures we’ve experienced, the arguments we regret having had? Why do we do it? Why do we make ourselves feel bad?
The Bible tells us to forget those things that are behind us (Philippians 3:13–14). It says simply to admit that we are not perfect, to forgive ourselves for any mistakes we have made, and to just get on with our lives.
My Prayer
Help me, Lord, to take your advice to put the past in the past, to simply let go of bad memories and troubled feelings and get my life moving forward again. I know that I wasted too much time trying to figure out why things happened as they did, what I could have done differently to avoid bad situations—and on and on.
I guess I must keep remembering, Lord, that I can’t fix or change past mistakes by constantly worrying about them. Don’t let me go on continuously blaming myself for something I did—or failed to do—in the past. Don’t let me allow myself to be bullied by guilt.
Let me realize that my life will be much easier and more pleasant if I can more willingly embrace the concept of “forgiving and forgetting” and give up my habit of dwelling on the past. Teach me, Lord, how to live my life more fully in the present.
My Resolutions
Whenever I begin thinking about past mistakes, Lord, I will convince myself that I had done the best I could with what I knew and felt at that time. I will give myself credit for at least recognizing the fact that I do resort to poor judgment at times. I will simply forgive myself, try to improve, and quickly move on.
With your guidance, Lord, I will be smart enough to protect my health by refusing to subject my mind and body to unhealthy, mentally, and physically damaging emotions brought on by rehashing past mistakes, hurts, and failures. I will distract myself from these emotions by putting on some uplifting music and immediately getting busy with something that I enjoy doing or at least don’t mind doing. Ρ
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LET IT GO
O Lord, please help me let go.
Let go of bitterness, let in forgiveness.
Let go of worry, let in peace.
Let go of fear, let in hope.
Let go of pride, let in selflessness.
Let go of hurt, let in love.
Let go of hurriedness, let in this moment.
Let go of indifference, let in compassion.
Let go of property, let in generosity.
Let go of this false self, let in my true self.
Let it go, let you grow.
Source: On a Bench of Wood: Reflections of God’s Grace, © 2012 Daryl Madden (Liguori Publications, 821530)