Happiness Will Require Letting Go

In review of Philippians 3:13-14 it says, “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Bottom Line:Forget the past and focus on what lies ahead. Press on to reach the goal and to receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ is calling us.

What this means to me:There is one thing I can always do: and that is to forget the past, and to look forward to reaching what lies ahead. So I will run straight toward the goal so that I can receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling me. Happiness will require letting go and learning to forget. Worrying won’t change the past, so I should forget what can’t be changed and instead focus on the future. Philippians 3:13-14 says, “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (NLT). I know from experience that II only have a limited amount of energy. That’s why I get tired, fatigued and worn out. Since I only have a limited supply of energy, I should not waste any of it on the past. Instead, every day, I should choose to focus my energy on what is in front of me and what lies ahead. Keeping this in mind, there are three potential traps I need to be aware of.

• First is the trap of regret. I need to got to let go of regrets. Are there things I wish I had done differently in life? Of course. But it’s useless to dwell on them because I can no longer change them. They are in the past. Given this, I shouldn’t waste any emotion on them.

• Secondly, the trap of resentment. Holding on to resentment doesn’t hurt anybody but myself. Let it go! For my own sake, I must forgive. Do they deserve it? Maybe not, But do I deserve forgiveness from God? No. Those who experience grace are gracious.

• The trap of tradition. Everything is constantly changing, and I cannot stop it. I have to decide whether to resist and resent those changes or to be happy. Happiness is a choice I can make.

So ultimately, how I handle change in my life will reveal my spiritual maturity. When I’m guided by and anchored to eternity, change can take place all around me and I can choose to be happy. Of the three traps above, II can so easily be trapped in tradition and in having things change. Change can be very disrupting to my routine and I can see it being a hindrance to moving forward. So today, I will practice letting go of the past and pressing on and looking toward the future goal.