Have you ever caught yourself staring off into space, deep in thought—daydreaming? It’s amazing to consider the complexity and wonder of how God created us. He designed our minds like a built-in recorder, storing memories from even our earliest days.
Being lost in memory can be a
good thing—but sometimes, not so good.
Thank God we have the help of the Holy Spirit to guide us, especially
when painful thoughts try to bring torment or steal our peace. For our overall physical, mental, and
spiritual well-being, it’s far better to focus on the positive rather than
dwell on the negative parts of our past.
When hurt begins to rise up,
it’s best to bring it before God and ask Him to help us resist the temptation
to brood over what we cannot change. The
enemy would love nothing more than to keep us stuck in those moments, robbing
us of joy in the present.
But God offers forgiveness and
grace. When we repent and give our
hearts to Him, He removes our sins and chooses not to remember them against
us. So why should we continue to hold
onto what God has already released? We
don’t have to.
Continuing to punish ourselves
can become a kind of unnecessary burden.
Letting go, in that sense, is both an act of faith and a form of
self-compassion.
We can choose to think on what
is good. We can intentionally shift to
something grounding or positive (gratitude, scripture, even a simple
present-moment awareness).
As Scripture reminds us in
Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever
is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
The next time you find
yourself lost in a troubling memory, pause and ask God for help. Then gently turn your thoughts toward
something good. Scripture tells us that
when we resist the devil, he will flee. And
in that moment, you may begin to feel the beautiful freedom that God has always
intended for you.
Written by,
Papa Boyd
