For as long as you look into the past,
you will never be able to appreciate the present and realize what the future
has in store for you. The pain, regrets about decisions and situations that
happened before now are out of your hand- the only thing you are capable of is
controlling how you respond to the situation.
I believe forgiveness is one of the
toughest paradoxes. Selfish, yet
selfless. Selfish because it is mostly for your own good and selfless because
if the other person cares, then you also give them relief. It is only through
forgiveness that we begin healing.
There are things about me that I have carried;
that I did not want to let go because (as crazy as this sounds) they were the
core constructs of my wall to fence off people. In my short life, I have been
on the road to hell (maybe) even got there; and back. I have learnt that friends
are important and will keep you sane when you think life is over.
One thing I have also come to
appreciate is, in order for you to get to the peak- you have to hit rock bottom. This is such a dark moment in one’s
life and regardless of whether or not you are alone: only you have the power to
realize and decide that you can’t sink any lower and have to rise up. It is
only after this realization and accepting
the situation that true and honest strides towards forgiveness of oneself
can be made. It is in forgiving ourselves that we create the possibility of
forgiving others. It is in letting go of the past that we have the ability to
move on.
I may not be one to
honestly talk about my challenges as I experience them; I prefer to talk about
them once I overcome them- successfully or not. I have attributed this to the
notion of making decisions due to own conviction. Proverbs
11:14 Where there is no guidance, a
people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety. As much
as the reasons might be noble, it also good to seek the counsel of others- and God- but you have to careful in
this. 1
John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits
to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the
world. There are times that our decisions are clouded by emotions and we need
someone with a clear view to guide us. It is because of this that I have armed
myself with three women who I consider my prayer warriors. There is comfort in
knowing, when you are down
and knocked out proper, there is someone standing
in the gap for you.
Trials
are part of life, if we never go
through fire, our worth will not
be known. When you are out of the furnace:
1.
Take a
deep breath
2.
Stand (reflect),
3.
Dust
yourself off ( of anger, regrets, disappointments- things of the
past)
4.
That
first step towards a new journey (walk with pride).
For as
long as you are driving using the rearview mirror, you will never get to see where you are going. Out with
the past, and make a clean
slate to enjoy the present and anything the future may have in store. Equip
yourself with things that will not only facilitate your movement in the right
direction, but also sustain the
movement indefinitely. Rebuild a relationship with yourself, and with your maker before you
can venture out to mend broken bridges or make new ones. Be the kind of person
you would wish to attract- hurting people not only hurt others, but may also attract hurting
people. You attract what you profess.
When all is said and done it is in not having
that we appreciate having, it is in hurting
that we nurture, it is in death that
there is rebirth…it is in forgiveness that there is healing.
