Letting Go Of 2017

"Two monks were on a pilgrimage. One day, they came to a deep river. At the edge of the river, a young woman sat weeping because she was afraid to cross the river without help. She begged the two monks to help her. The younger monk turned his back. The members of their order were forbidden to touch a woman.

But the older monk picked up the woman without a word and carried her across the river. He put her down on the far side and continued his journey. The younger monk came after him, scolding him and berating him for breaking his vows. He went on this way for a long time.

Finally, at the end of the day the older monk turned to the younger one. "I only carried her across the river. You have been carrying her all day”

We carry the issues of the past

the hurts of the past

the disappointments

the loss of the past

We can get stuck in a moment of time

Carry the weight of something long after it is over

Letting go means something has to open in your head and in your heart

But we resist change

The bible calls this resistance…the flesh

Psychology today says...

It is one of the great marvels of clinical observation how much discomfort people can tolerate before they acknowledge the need for change

Entering a new chapter of time

Opportunities to move on

But not drag 2017 into 2018

Letting Go Of The Past

(1)Make the decision to let go ( do slide for this)

Philippians 3 says...

but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

If the bible says to forget…than we are able to do so.

The word forget here...

To dismiss from the mind

To stop reliving the past pain,

Stop going over the details of the story in your head every time you think of the other person

Speak to the thought and dismiss it

We will know if we have done this by our actions

(2)Express your pain — and your responsibility. (do slide)

Express the pain the hurt made you feel,

Directly to the other person,

or through just getting it out of your system

(like venting to a friend,

writing in a journal,

writing a letter you never send to the other person).

King David did this through writing Psalms-songs

Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long? Turn, O LORD, and deliver me;

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Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.

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My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

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Get it all out of your system at once.

Doing so will also help you understand what — specifically — your hurt is about.

Responsibility

there may have been a part of the hurt that you are also partially responsible for.

What could you have done differently next time?

Are you an active participant in your own life, or simply a hopeless victim?

(3) Stop Being The Victim and blaming others (do slide)

Being the victim feels good — it’s like being on the winning team of you against the world.

Yes, you’re special. Yes, your feelings matter.

But don’t confuse “your feelings matter” with “your feelings should override all else, and nothing else matters.”

What is greater.......?

My feelings or God’s purpose and plan

Why did Paul say to forget the past....?

to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us

Elevating our feelings above obedience to Christ is going to stop us from finishing the race well

Where does it say in the bible that life is fair

Where does it say we will not be disrespected

Where does it say we will feel good all the time

Where does it say we will not be hurt, forgotten, lied to or betrayed?

The apostle Paul lamented this very fact…about being an apostle

11 Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home. 12 We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us. 13 We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment.

He said about this......

10 Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools

(4)Focus on the present — the here and now — and joy (do slide)

Jesus was very serious about doing this.

He was a master at it

How do you enjoy your day?

If you knew that in the very near future you were going to be:

Arrested

Completely abandoned

Beaten unmercifully

Crucified

What was Jesus doing 6 days before his death…?

Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him.

Jesus emphatically tells us not to worry about tomorrow (message translation)

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

(5) Forgive people and yourself

Forgiveness is a choice we make through a decision of our will, motivated by obedience to God and his command to forgive.

The Bible instructs us to forgive as the Lord forgave us:

COLOSSIANS 3:13

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Sometimes we get stuck in our pain and our stubbornness, we can’t even imagine forgiveness.

But forgiveness isn’t saying,

“I agree with what you did.”

Instead, it’s saying,

“I don’t agree with what you did, but I forgive you anyway.”

We will know the work of forgiveness is complete when

When we do forgive, the Lord sets our hearts free from the anger, bitterness, resentment and hurt that previously imprisoned us.

You can look that person in the eye

You won’t avoid them in a crowd

You will no longer have mental arguments and visions of revenge

Most times, however, forgiveness is a slow process.

You may have to forgive every time you see them

70 x 7...

What do you want to leave behind in 2017

What disappointment

What Hurt

What failure