Jesus asked a sick man an unusual question: ‘Do you want to get well?’ This man had been unwell for 38 years, so it seemed like an obvious question to ask. But we can often find ourselves needing to be asked that same question. We’ve probably all been hurt in some way in our lives. But if we’re still focused on it years later we’re not victims of our circumstances, we’re victims by choice. That can pretty hard to accept. When we’re hurting, we don’t want to think we’re choosing to feel that way. But we can often choose to let the hurt rules our lives rather than forgive the person who hurt us. Jesus said, ‘If you are angry with someone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins’ (Mark 11:25 NCV). Sometimes the ‘victim lifestyle’ gets quite comfortable. We like having the sympathy of others, and we like the thought that what’s going in our lives, and the way we’re dealing with it, isn’t our fault. But forgiving others sets us free. Whatever others may have taken from us in the past, if we remain bitter they’ll take more from us in the future. God’s got new plans and new opportunities for us, but for Him to be able to work in us and through us, we need to make the choice to let go and forgive. If we’re holding onto the past, we’re not ready for God to do something new. He says: ‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!’ (Isaiah 43:18 NIV). Are we ready to let go, forgive, and move into the new things God’s got for us?

What Now?

Is there a hurt you’re struggling to let go of? Ask God to help you start the process of forgiving and moving on.