“What’s ridiculous is to continue to allow the people who have hurt you the most to influence your current and future relationships.”

A thought by Andy Stanley (2009-08-22) from his book, It Came from Within! The Shocking Truth of What Lurks in the Heart (p. 77). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition.

I love the way life is set up.  There are 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, 30/31 days in a month and 12 months in a year.  There is a beginning and an end in each one of them.  This week is the end of another year and it is a time of reflection and release.

It is always good to look back at a point to reflect on what happened, to thank God for His gifts, to reinforce the lessons learned and to let go of and release the pain that has happened in this year. 

I know that at some point you have been hurt by someone in 2011.  There is pain in relationships sometimes but you don’t have to take that hurt that pain into the new year.  That is a choice that you have and this is a good week to let go of that memory that hurt.   If you don’t you will carry that hurt into your other relationship in 2012.  That is a real waist. 

Oh I know you feel you owe them the hurt back that they gave you but it doesn’t work that way.  The way the hurt is released is through forgiveness.  When you forgive them they no longer have a hold on you.  You are released from that shackle of pain.  Now it doesn’t just happen one time.  Depending on the depth of the pain you will need to keep forgiving them until there is no more pain in your memory of the painful action.

Again this is a good week, the week between Christmas and New Years to clean up some of the relational junk from the past year.  That is a great way to start the New Year.

So who do you need to forgive?