May 3: Letting Go of what hurt you

 

By: Dr. Terry-Ann Robinson

Key Text: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 

See, I am doing a new thing!   Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18–19:

When you accidentally touch a hot pot, your reflexes make you pull your hand back immediately. You don’t keep holding on, because doing so would only cause more pain and possibly lasting damage. Instinctively, you let go to protect yourself.

In much the same way, when life burns us—through hurtful words, broken relationships, unfair circumstances, or deep disappointments—we are not meant to keep gripping the pain. Clinging to past wounds only increases the harm and hinders healing. God calls us to release what hurts, not rehearse it.

Consider Joseph. After being thrown into a pit by his brothers and sold into slavery, he had every reason to live in bitterness. If Joseph had allowed resentment to dominate his heart, even with his God-given ability to interpret dreams, that bitterness would have shaped his character and attitude. Potiphar would not have seen a man prepared to lead, but one weighed down by complaints and grievances. The very blessings God intended for Joseph could have been missed.

Yet Joseph chose faith over fixation. He let go of what was behind him and trusted God with what was ahead.

This is echoed in God’s promise in Isaiah, where He declares that He is always doing something new, even in places that seem dry, barren, or hopeless. But we cannot perceive or receive what God is doing next if our hands and hearts are still clinging to yesterday’s pain.

Just as we instinctively release a hot pot to avoid further injury, we must learn to release past hurts so God can guide us into new seasons of healing, growth, and blessing.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for the promise of new beginnings. Help me to let go of the pain and disappointments of the past. Give me the courage to trust You with my hurts and the faith to believe that You are making a way even in the wilderness. Fill my heart with hope and expectancy for what You are doing in my life. Grant me the grace to forgive, to move forward, and to embrace the blessings You have prepared for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.