Whatever our past may have been, God has a better future in mind for us. But too often, we keep ourselves stuck in the past. We hold onto bitterness, hurt and disappointment. We keep thinking about the things that have happened to us, or the mistakes we’ve made. We prevent ourselves from moving forward into that better future that God has for us. We need to forgive the people who’ve hurt us, forgive ourselves, and let it go. But forgiving others can be a lot easier said than done. We feel that they don’t deserve our forgiveness, or feel that forgiving them somehow excuses what they did to us. But the truth is, forgiveness sets us free. It cuts the emotional tie between us and the people who’ve hurt us. It removes some of the heavy baggage we’re carrying around. God sees and knows what’s happened to us. We can give it all over to Him and find peace and freedom in forgiveness. ‘Forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ’ (Ephesians 4:32 NCV). This includes forgiving ourselves for things we’ve done. We can end up beating ourselves up over things we’ve done, or not done. And God doesn’t want us to live like that. He forgives us, so we need to forgive ourselves. God’s got incredible plans for each of us. The Bible says: ‘God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing’ (Ephesians 2:10 NCV). But stepping forward into those plans requires us to stop stepping back into the past, let go of things that are holding us back and instead strain towards what’s ahead.

What Now?

Spend time forgiving those who’ve hurt you and forgiving yourself for any mistakes you’ve made. Then ask God to show you His plans for your future.